WITH an outbreak of mumps reaching epidemic proportions in Cornwall, hundreds of students from colleges across the Caradon and North Cornwall districts have been queuing up for MMR jabs. It is hoped the immunisation programme, launched by the North and East Cornwall Primary Care Trust, will help protect the most vulnerable groups of young people, judged to be aged between 16-25, and stop the spread of mumps, which is a highly contagious virus. Across the county since the beginning of the year up until last week, family doctors had notified the Cornwall Area Health Authority of 583 cases of mumps, in comparison with only six the previous year. In East and North Cornwall there have been 90 reported cases in the last five months alone. There were no more than five cases last year. Teams of school nurses and health visitors have been giving MMR injections (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) at Callington, Liskeard, Torpoint, Saltash, Launceston and Camelford Secondary Schools in the Primary Trust's area and are scheduled to visit Saltash College for Further Education on November 15, and Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, on December 1 and 2. At Torpoint School the school nurse, Barbara King, reported 80 per cent of their 184 students in the 16s and over age group had had the injection. Head of 6th Form Robin Duff said: 'All students were given letters to be signed either by parents or themselves giving permission for the injection.' At Saltash School, where three girls have contracted mumps, 160 students were injected with the vaccine. At Stoke Climsland's Duchy College there have been six cases of mumps, which included a staff member, and it is expected that many students will be considering having the MMR injection. Kissing Lynne Kendall, Joint Director of Public Health for the North and East Cornwall Area, said the Trust is keen to try and reduce further spread of mumps locally. 'People in the 16-25 age group were chosen because of the way some of them socialise, in that one week they could be in Liskeard, the next in Looe, the next Plymouth, then Newquay and so on. The virus can be passed by kissing.' Mr Laurence Knight, Health Agency spokesperson for the South West, says there has been an increase nationally in the cases of mumps but a very striking increase in Cornwall. 'There is a cohort of young people, who are today's 16-year-olds, who missed out on the MMR vaccine because they were born before it was introduced,' he said. 'There has been a potential for a mumps outbreak of this scale for some time which has prompted action from the health authorities.' The symptoms of mumps are greatly enlarged glands in the neck region, sore throat and general virus symptoms leading to feeling very unwell.
