Current Trend in Mumps in Children Aged 1 to 10 Years in Ammapettai Town: A Cross- Sectional Study

Abstract

Mumps is a highly contagious viral disorder that especially affects children, for which there are good vaccines, and is a public health issue. In the present study the intention was to assess the overall trend of mumps infection in children aged 1-10 years in Ammapettai town with descriptive cross sectional research design. This research method, which was applied in this study is a quantitative research method, and for obtaining the subjects, the researcher employed the convenient sampling method with number samples of 150 children. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information from the parents/caregivers about the immunisation history, environmental factors, clinical features and demographic characteristics. The analysis of the data collected was done in descriptive and inferential statistics. All the findings that are presented in this dissertation have been hypothetical and are provided for academic purposes only. The illustrative results were presented showing that more children were seen with mumps in the 7-10 year age group as compared to 17.3% of all children. Most frequently reported symptoms were swelling of the parotid glands and fever. Occurrence of mumps was significantly related to immunisation status and household crowding and there was no significant association with gender and parent education. The study underscores the need to ensure full immunization, timely diagnosis, public education and enhanced surveillance initiatives to decrease the prevalence of mumps in children. The findings underscore the need for all stakeholders (including health services, school, parents, public health) to collaborate to stop future outbreaks from happening and to enhance children's health.