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Tamil Nadu, which records at least 150 cases of mumps in a month now, had earlier this year requested the Government of India (GoI) to consider adding mumps vaccine to the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, in a letter to the Union Health Ministry, requested the GoI to advise of any possibility of supplying Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine under routine immunisation to control all three diseases in the State. The need for the request arose after cases of mumps were reported in various health unit districts of the State as early as February this year.

Under UIP in Tamil Nadu, 11 vaccines are provided to children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine preventable diseases – tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenzae, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, rubella, rota virus, pneumococcal and japanese encephalitis (in select 14 endemic districts). Every year, around 10 lakh pregnant women and 9.15 lakh children/infants are covered under UIP in the State. Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine was included in the UIP from April 2017.

“Around 150 to 200 cases of mumps are notified in a month across the State. Number wise, it is not a significant one considering the population of our State. However, in view of high infectivity, it may become a cluster,” T. S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health, said.

In fact, in an article – Epidemiology of reported mumps cases in Tamil Nadu, April 2021 to March 2024 – published in the Tamil Nadu Journal of Public Health and Medical Research, the authors noted that the number of mumps cases was steadily increasing over the years, with a significant surge in 2024 to suggest that it can be included as a notifiable disease in the State to improve surveillance and control measures. While there were 61 cases during 2021-22 and 129 during 2022-23, the cases soared to 1,091 during 2023-24. Chennai reported the highest percentage – 27% – and several health unit districts reported three to 10% of the total cases during 2023-24.

Nearly 40% of the cases occurred in the age group of six to nine, followed by children aged less than 5 years which is 33%. In fact, more than half of the total reported cases were in women. The study recommended adding the mumps component to the UIP schedule as per GoI procedures.

Dr. Selvavinayagam said that in children, mumps is mostly self-limiting without any complications, but when it occurs in the adult population, there is a possibility of orchitis that may result in infertility. “In view of the growing evidence of complications due to shift in the age group, it is advisable to include mumps in the UIP. This is a big policy decision to be taken at the GoI level since it needs pan India implementation and involves huge expenditure and vaccine production capacity as well,” he said.

Doctors said that the MMR vaccine was available in private hospitals. It is very important to include mumps vaccine in the UIP as it can cause complications including orchitis and encephalitis, they said.