Universities across Glasgow have been notified of a 'rising number' of young people with mumps by NHSGCC.

Glasgow Caledonian University notified students on Thursday of the rising numbers and urged students to make sure they were vaccinations.

Although the numbers are yet to be quantified, a spokesperson for the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde told The Glasgow Times:

"In the NHSGGC area we have seen a rise in cases of mumps over the last few months. Other areas of Scotland are also reporting a rise.

"Mumps is spread in the same way as colds and flu: through infected droplets of saliva that can be inhaled or picked up from surfaces and transferred into the mouth or nose. A person is most contagious a few days before the symptoms develop and for a few days afterwards."

News of a rising number of people under age-30 contracting mumps comes days after a thread posted on Twitter, to which a user offered "prizes" to those with the "best mumps faces" garnered a reaction from over 2000 people online.

Following the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1988, the incidence of mumps substantially decreased. However, there have been flare-ups.

Health Protection Scotland confirmed 534 laboratory-confirmed mumps cases were reported in 2019, almost double that of the 281 confirmed in 2018.

Elise Forsyth, 21 from Giffnock, contracted the condition after Hogmanay despite being vaccinated against it.

Glasgow Times:

She told The Glasgow Times:

"The physical side of having mumps was horrible and really painful.

"The real issue for me were the practical issues, obviously staying inside and containing the virus is really important, I didn’t want to spread it to anyone else once I knew had it. This meant almost missing one of my 4th year university exams. It also affected how I studied for my exams and I feel like the affects of mumps will be longer term for me than just the physical results.

"I received all my doses of the MMR vaccine as a child and a booster before I travelled to east Africa in 2015.

"People in my wider family thought they had it, but I didn’t think we’d seen each other for long enough for me to catch it.

"The correlation between my age group having an outbreak of mumps and the harmful spread of misinformation about the MMR a few years ago seems coincidental.

"I think that the nature of the virus itself, and the fact it can spread without the person knowing they have it makes it easily spread."

Outbreaks in the UK were common for years, following a drop in vaccination numbers after Dr Andrew Wakefield's report suggesting the MMR jab was linked to autism and bowel disease. The report has since been discredited, and catch-up vaccination programmes have ensured uptake of the vaccine’s now reached the desired 95% of children in some areas of the UK.

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Dr. Sheila O'Neill, who established the Glasgow Medical Room favoured by Sir Billy Connolly, stressed the importance of being vaccinated against mumps:

"Definitely get vaccinated. You can get the vaccination at an older age, if you haven't had two doses or if you need a catch up. There is no concern about later vaccinations and you are safer to be given one if you don't have it or can't remember getting another dose.

"Vaccination rates are still excellent, but there are still some people who aren't vaccinated out there. If you haven't been vaccinated, you are definitely more likely to get mumps.

"Vaccinations stimulate bodies to create antibodies so that you have protection against the illness if you develop it, or that it may be less severe if you do contract the illness.

Dr. O'Neill urged those to notify their GP.

"If you have mumps, see your GP as it is a notifiable disease. The health board need to be aware and can help to manage symptoms. Prevention is the cure."