Mumps epidemic hits 18 locals in the last month

THE UK mumps epidemic has spread to Guernsey. There have been 18 confirmed cases in the last four weeks and doctors suspect that two students from Elizabeth College, who are awaiting the results of tests, have also contracted the virus.

There has only been one previous confirmed case in the last seven years.

The news follows reports that mumps has been sweeping through university campuses across the UK.

Local health officials believe that students from the island coming back from university have spread the virus.

They are now urging youngsters not immunised to take up the controversial MMR vaccine.

'We have seen a huge increase in the past month,' said director of public health Dr David Jeffs.

'Most years we do not have any cases at all; this is out of the ordinary.'

He said that, as in the UK, most of the cases were in people aged between 19 and 23.

Dr Jeffs said that this age group was most at risk for several reasons: they were born before the introduction of the MMR vaccine; were less likely to have been protected by getting the virus when they were young because of later immunisation; and they tended to be extremely sociable at the moment.

The spread to a younger age group such as those at Elizabeth College is being blamed on the limited vaccine programme initially set up and the low take-up of the controversial triple vaccine that some studies have linked to autism.

'Initially many people had only one vaccine when they were young and did not receive a booster dose,' said lead infection control nurse Elaine Burgess.

'Then an additional pre-school boost was given. Now university students are also given a boost, but those who do not go to university will not get it.'

Mrs Burgess said that the outbreak was the inevitable consequence of a low MMR uptake.

'The problem is that the principle of herd immunity has been eroded because the take-up has been so low. Before, so many people were immunised that it protected those who were

not. Now that does not exist.

'I have had a lot of anxious parents calling me and asking what to do. The main advice I can give is that if people are unsure whether they have the symptoms or not, they should go to see their GP.'

Both Dr Jeffs and Mrs Burgess are urging youngsters not immunised to take up the MMR vaccine.

Assistant secretary of the local branch of the British Medical Association Catharine Walter said that doctors had seen a marked increase in mumps and

that local GPs had been issued with test kits to

confirm a mumps diagnosis.

Even if a person has the virus, positive results are shown up only at least seven days after first contracting it.

People who have the virus are being told to recuperate at home.

No one at Elizabeth College was available for comment yesterday.