Dr Kiran Aggarwal speaks to NDTV on the mumps outbreak
Cases of mumps appear to be spreading in Delhi as doctors report more and more children and young adults between 18 and 25 are visiting them with symptoms.
Though the viral infection appears to be spreading in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Maharashtra have seen rising mumps cases in children in the past few months.
Dr Kiran Aggarwal, paediatrician and former president of the Delhi-based Indian Academy of Paediatrics, told NDTV thousands of cases are being reported from across the country.
"It can be called an outbreak. Why not? Earlier, we used to see mumps cases in certain seasons, one or two months, and would go away. But this time mumps has been around for seven-eight months," Dr Aggarwal said.
"It's not a disease that needs hospitalisation. General doctors can see it," she added.
Health Ministry data shows over 15,000 cases of mumps have been reported between the January to March period this year.
The symptoms include swelling in the neck, one side or both, she said. "It is also painful to eat when you have mumps," Dr Aggarwal said.
People with mumps usually get better in four-five days, she said, adding the swelling goes away in a few days. "But it is a highly infectious disease. Anyone can give infection fast to people around," she said.
There is a vaccine for mumps called 'measles, mumps, and rubella' (MMR) vaccine, but is not part of the national schedule of mandatory vaccines.
"Nobody thought about including it. One reason is the national infectious disease portal has no records. How would you know how many cases are there? When vaccines are brought into the national schedule, there is also a cost factor. It has to be administered to the entire population, and not selectively. So do we have enough in the Budget to set aside for this? Cost factor is always there," Dr Aggarwal said.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mumps is caused by a paramyxovirus, a member of the Rubulavirus family. The average incubation period for mumps is 16 to 18 days, with a range of 12 to 25 days.
Mumps is known for the puffy cheeks and tender, swollen jaw that it causes, the CDC says. This is a result of swollen salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides, often referred to as parotitis.
Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.
The symptoms typically appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12 to 25 days after infection. Some people who get mumps have very mild symptoms (like a cold), or no symptoms at all and may not know they have the disease, the CDC says.