City of Tshwane on high alert amid mumps outbreak

The City of Tshwane says it is on high alert, following the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ (NICD) announcement of a mumps outbreak in the country.

Mumps is a viral infection caused by the rubulavirus and affects children mainly between 5 to 9 years of age.

The infection is spread through drops of saliva droplets or mucus of an infected person and can also be spread indirectly through contact with contaminated surfaces that an infected person touched.

The incubation period is reportedly 16 to 18 days after exposure to an infected individual.

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Symptoms

• Discomfort in the salivary glands (in the front of the neck) or the parotid glands (immediately in front of the ears).

• Difficulty chewing, pain and tenderness of the testicles, fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.

It is also advised that infected persons be isolated to prevent the spread of the virus.

Recent data

More recent data shows unexpected, steady increases in immunoglobulin (IgM) test positives from week 6 of 2023, with KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng accounting for the majority.

“The unexpected, sudden increase in mumps IgM and PCR test positives, in the absence of other data, constitutes an outbreak,” said the NICD in a statement.

While three provinces – Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, have registered the majority of cases, from March 2023 to date, roughly 95 cases of mumps have been healthcare clinics managed by the City of Tshwane.

Recommendations

City of Tshwane’s MMC for health Rina Marx has encouraged parents and caregivers to monitor children who present the identified symptoms, especially at this time. Mumps infections often occur in winter and spring.

“Though there is no cure for mumps, treatment is mainly focused on alleviating the symptoms associated with mumps.

“This includes drinking plenty of fluids, gargling with warm salt water, taking non-aspirin medications, avoiding acidic foods and placing ice or heat packs on swollen glands. The disease must run its course and usually goes away on its own within a few weeks.

“Mumps is not a notifiable disease and laboratory tests are used to confirm an infection,” said Marx.

READ MORE: NICD confirms mumps outbreak in South Africa