title: Mumps in a boarding school: description of an outbreak and control measures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of cases of mumps in the UK has increased during 2004-2005. Understanding why some people are more susceptible to mumps infection will help target vaccination and other control measures in the future. This paper describes a mumps outbreak in a boarding school in Scotland (October to November 2004).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics of cases in a mumps outbreak; and to conduct a case-control study looking at the effect of previous measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive epidemiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical, laboratory and surveillance data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A private school with 600 boarding and day pupils.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty cases were notified to the public health department as having mumps. Twenty of the cases (40%) were confirmed virologically, all born between 1987-1991. A matched case-control study was conducted to explore the effect of prior MMR vaccination. Compared to no vaccine, MMR protected against mumps (odds ratio = 0.7), two doses offering best protection (odds ratio = 0.5), but the study was not large enough to detect a statistically significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some children and young people in the UK are currently incompletely vaccinated. This outbreak illustrates the potential of a mumps outbreak to disrupt the medical, educational and social life of a school. All children should be vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine before school entry. Children and young people born between 1979-1991 should be given the necessary additional dose(s) of MMR vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Department, NHS Fife, Cameron House, Windygates, Leven, Fife KY8 5RG. gm@nhs.net
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Hallam
authors.forename: Janelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009107:Mumps / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012574:Schools; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine