Urgent call for Mumps vaccinations

A call has gone out to everyone under the age of 40 to ensure they are fully immunised against mumps.

It follows a major upsurge in reported cases, with the majority being in people aged between 20 and 35.

Those under the age of 15 will have been vaccinated at school, whilst those over the age of 40 will now have built up a lifelong immunity.

Mumps is highly contagious and results in painful swelling of the salivary glands and in extreme cases can affect the central nervous system and can lead to infertility in men.

According to Director of Public Health, Dr Kishore, the health service has seen a major increase in cases reported already this year:

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