Cases of mumps on the rise in Dharwad district - Times of India

Hubballi: The number of people suffering from mumps in Dharwad district is on the rise. Doctors say the district did not witness any surge in the viral infection in the last three-four years due to continuous drought, this winter season has been different. The temperature has remained normal during the entire season and the infection has spread in many areas, they add.
If the words of the district health and family welfare department officials are to be believed, the virus has affected a large number of children and young adults this season compared to previous years.

Young adults and children below the age of 10 have been affected by the viral infection. Old parts of Hubballi and many villages in the district are largely affected by the contagious disease.

Dr Prakash Wari, head of the department of the Paediatrics, KIMS, told TOI that mumps is a contagious disease caused by the mumps virus. “The virus is transmitted from one person to another through saliva, nasal secretions, and close personal contact. The virus primarily affects salivary glands and symptoms include loss of appetite, body ache, fatigue, headache, and fever. It is not a dangerous disease and hardly any medical complication may arise in the infected person.”

Doctors will treat the patient according to symptoms. The patient may recover within seven and ten days after initiation of treatment, he added.
Dr Vinay, who runs a clinic in Heggeri told TOI that he has treated five cases of mumps in the last one week. “Children, especially those who were not vaccinated were infected with the disease. Government hospital vaccinates children only for measles and rubella (MR), but they have to start vaccinating against mumps measles and rubella (MMR). Only then will the disease be prevented,” he said.
District health officer Dr R M Doddamani admitted that there was a surge in mumps cases compared to previous years. Stating that it was not a worrying situation, he added that as per the information received from 55 primary health centers of the district not a single patient had developed complications.
According to health officials, as many as 40 cases of mumps were officially registered with the department last year. But doctors who practice privately completely disagree with the figures. They say private hospitals and clinics would not report the cases to the health department. They urged the government to start MMR vaccination instead of MR vaccination to completely arrest cases of mumps.

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