Hundreds vaccinated to stop spread of mumps (From Stroud News and Journal)

Hundreds vaccinated to stop spread of mumps

HUNDREDS of young people in the Stroud Valleys have been vaccinated against mumps this week as the number of people contracting the disease nationally continues to soar.

Mumps has been on the rise throughout the country and major immunisation programmes have taken place at Stroud College and Maidenhill school in Stonehouse.

Students and pupils have been inoculated against the disease which can cause lasting problems, particularly in younger sufferers. The college was the first to offer vaccinations to its students.

"One of our art students got mumps as he was about to go on a college trip to Bulgaria," said spokesman Jim Kelly.

"He didn't know he had it and during the trip was in close proximity with the other students sharing hotels, planes and coaches. "A total of 24 students picked it up.

"That number obviously pressed some button at the NHS and they recommended we have a mass inoculation.

"All our full-time students were offered the vaccination but people between 16 and 25 were our main target group as those older than that tend to have built up their own immunities."

The college had two sessions, last Monday and Friday, when some 250 students opted for the vaccination.

A single does of the controversial Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab is enough to protect 80 per cent of recipients but health experts recommend a second jab to ensure people are fully immunised.

Maidenhill had the medics in last Thursday after some 30 reported cases, six of which were confirmed.

"We passed some sort of threshold and it was done not just in light of what's going on at Maidenhill but what is happening in schools all over the county," said head teacher Tony Trippett.

"We were having the standard inoculations we have in school and the mumps one was added to it. "All the students whose parents filled in a consent form had it done."