Mumbai: No need to worry, says BMC, even as mumps cases rise in M-East ward

Mumps primarily affects paediatric patients but can also be transmitted to adults

There is a slight uptick in mumps cases in the M-East ward, observed in both children and adults. However, BMC health officials claim that the situation is likely to be prevalent among the large migrant population there. BMC's M-East ward comprises Govandi, Mankhurd, Shivaji Nagar, Deonar and parts of Chembur. Even as ward-level health officials have not recently registered mumps cases, a local mohalla clinic run by Kamgar Sanrakshan Sammaan Sangh (KSSS) in Mankhurd has been daily witnessing at least four to five mumps cases since November.

"There was a meeting held by the health department recently where we were asked about mumps cases, but nothing has been reported to us so far or at our dispensaries," said Dr Sanjay Funde, M-East's medical officer of health. Dr Shilpa Varma who caters to patients at the KSSS clinic said this is likely due to underreporting of cases. "People in the area either opt for home remedies, which can aggravate the condition at times, or visit quacks," she said. Since its inception in October, the clinic has seen 910 patients, with 548 women availing the health services.

"Since last month, every day there have been at least four to five cases. This includes women and paediatric patients. If my clinic has been seeing so many, surely the numbers have slightly increased elsewhere as well," said Dr Varma, whose clinic caters to daily wage workers. Dr Daksha Shah, BMC's executive health officer, said there is a wide coverage of Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine in the city. "Even then, there are a few cases every year with a marginal five per cent increase or decrease and it is not worrisome," she said. Last year, the city experienced a measles outbreak, first reported in the M-East ward, as many children missed their routine vaccination schedule owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health authorities had then swung into action to contain the situation and had doubled up on immunisation efforts.

"In wards like M-East or L ward, there is a large migrant population where people come to the city for a short period and then move back to their native place," She said and added that the possible uptick in mumps cases in M-East is likely among the migrants. A doctor from Dharavi's HBT clinic told mid-day that there were a couple of suspected mumps cases last month. "They were referred to another BMC facility for further investigation," he said. Another medical officer in central Mumbai said the issue with the MMR vaccine is that there is a large gap between the two doses. "So many either do not administer the follow-up dose because there has been an allergic reaction after the first dose, or they feel one was enough. And then there is a migrant population that is difficult to track," he said.

The contagious disease primarily affects paediatric patients but can also be transmitted to adults. Common symptoms of mumps include swollen and tender salivary glands, fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite and pain with chewing or swallowing; most recover in a week or two. In the rarest of the rare cases, there can also be post-mumps complications leading to hearing loss, fertility problems and encephalitis.