Resurgence of Mumps in India: A Call to Reintroduce MMR into the Immunization Program

Authors

  • Lalithambigai Chellamuthu Department of Community Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India
  • Anlin Jenisha Department of Community Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.160720255590

Keywords:

Mumps, Resurgence, Immunization, India, Programme

Abstract

The recent rise in mumps outbreaks across several Indian states exposes a critical gap in the national immunization framework specifically, the absence of mumps vaccination in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). As mumps is currently excluded from the India's Universal Immunization Program and only the MR vaccine is administered, millions of children remain susceptible to this vaccine-preventable disease. In accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) guidelines, this communication urges policymakers to reintroduce the MMR vaccine into India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

References

McLean HQ, Fiebelkorn AP, Temte JL, Wallace GS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention of measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and mumps, 2013: summary recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013 Jun 14;62(RR-04):1-34.

Mumps - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf [Internet]. [cited 2025 April 17]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534785/

Rubin S, Eckhaus M, Rennick LJ, Bamford CG, Duprex WP. Molecular biology, pathogenesis and pathology of mumps virus. J Pathol. 2015 Jan;235(2):242-52. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/path.4445 PMid:25229387 PMCid:PMC4268314

Lam E, Rosen JB, Zucker JR. Mumps: an Update on Outbreaks, Vaccine Efficacy, and Genomic Diversity. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2020 Feb 26;33(2):e00151-19. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00151-19 PMid:32102901 PMCid:PMC7048016

CDC. Clinical Features of Mumps [Internet]. Mumps. 2024 [cited 2025 May 2]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp/clinical-signs/index.html

CDC. Mumps Vaccine Recommendations [Internet]. Mumps. 2024 [cited 2025 April 17]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp/vaccine-considerations/index.html

Shenoy B. Mumps resurgence-strategy ahead. Karnataka Paediatr J. 2024 Aug 17;39(2):45-6. Doi: https://doi.org/10.25259/KPJ_17_2024

Bhanu KSS, Nadimpalli M, Manchu MM, Duggirala M, Vantaku VV. A study on mumps infection in children aged 1-12 years in a tertiary care hospital, South India: a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics. 2025;12(1):118-23. Doi: https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20243865

Dharmapalan D, Gavhane J, Patil A, Shahane S, Warad S, Yewale Y, et al. Mumps Epidemic in Navi Mumbai in 2023-24: Lessons for the Health Management System. Indian Pediatr. 2024 Dec;61(12):1123-6. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-024-3334-6 PMid:39351836

Kerala struggles with a surge in mumps cases as infections cross 70,000 this year [Internet]. The Week. [cited 2025 May 31]. Available from: https://www.theweek.in/news/health/2024/12/18/kerala-struggles-with-a-surge-in-mumps-cases-as-infections-cross-70-000-this-year.html

Kumari S, Gupta S, Singh M, Kishore J. Does India Need to Rethink the Inclusion of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) Vaccine in the National Immunization Schedule? Epidemiology International 2024 Mar 18;9(1):1-4. Doi: https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.7048.202401

Narmatha K, Abinaya P, Mathivanan SR, Logaraj M. Epidemiology of reported mumps cases in Tamil Nadu, April 2021 to March 2024. Tamil Nadu J Public Health Med Res. 2024 Jul-Sep;4(3):80-84.

Shift to MR vaccine poses risk of mumps. The Times of India [Internet]. 2023 Dec 13 [cited 2025 May 17]; Available from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/shift-to-mr-vaccine-poses-risk-of-mumps/articleshow/105947116.cms

Immunization and Child Health | UNICEF India [Internet]. [cited 2025 April 17]. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/immunization

Gomber S, Arora SK, Das S, Ramachandran VG. Immune response to second dose of MMR vaccine in Indian children. Indian J Med Res. 2011 Sep;134(3):302-6.

Hamson E, Forbes C, Wittkopf P, Pandey A, Mendes D, Kowalik J, et al. Impact of pandemics and disruptions to vaccination on infectious diseases epidemiology past and present. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 19(2):2219577. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2023.2219577 PMid:37291691 PMCid:PMC10332206

Shah N, Ghosh A, Kumar K, Dutta T, Mahajan M. A review of safety and immunogenicity of a novel measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 20(1):2302685. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2302685 PMid:38236022 PMCid:PMC10798359

Abu Bashar MD, Khan IA, Sridevi G. Recent Surge in Mumps Cases in India: Need for Urgent Remedial Measures. Indian Pediatr. 2024 Apr;61(4):370-4. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-024-3162-8 PMid:38597102

Paul S, Mahajan PB, Sahoo J, Bhatia V, Subba SH. Investigating Mumps Outbreak in Odisha, India: An Opportunity to Assess the Health System by Utilizing the Essential Public Health Services Framework. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 May 3;96(5):1215-21. Doi: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.15-0593 PMid:28500809 PMCid:PMC5417219

Koplan JP, Preblud SR. A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Mumps Vaccine. American Journal of Diseases of Children. 1982 Apr 1;136(4):362-4. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.1982.03970400080021 PMid:6803581

Sarma H, Budden A, Luies SK, Lim SS, Shamsuzzaman Md, Sultana T, et al. Implementation of the World's largest measles-rubella mass vaccination campaign in Bangladesh: a process evaluation. BMC Public Health. 2019 Jul 10;19(1):925. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7176-4 PMid:31291922 PMCid:PMC6617646

Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health - Sri Lanka. National Immunization Schedule [Internet]. Colombo: Ministry of Health; 2023 [cited 2025 April 31]. Available from: https://www.epid.gov.lk/storage/post/pdfs/en_6403b42a75fa4_Doc2.pdf

Ministry of Health - Royal Government of Bhutan. Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Manual. Thimphu: MoH Bhutan; 2025 [cited 2025 April 31]. Available from: https://moh.gov.bt/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Revised-EPI-Manual.pdf

Downloads

Published

2025-07-01

How to Cite

1.
Chellamuthu L, Jenisha A. Resurgence of Mumps in India: A Call to Reintroduce MMR into the Immunization Program. Natl J Community Med [Internet]. 2025 Jul. 1 [cited 2025 Jul. 1];16(07):742-5. Available from: https://njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/5590

Issue

Section

Short Communication