Mumps Seroprevalence in Vellore, South India: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The mumps vaccine remains excluded from India's National Immunization Schedule (NIS) because of insufficient data on the community-level disease burden, despite mumps being a vaccine-preventable disease. In the present study, biobanked serum samples from an urban population in Vellore, stratified by age (in age groups of 1-5, 6-15, and 16-40 years) and sex, were tested for anti-mumps IgG antibodies using ELISA. The seroprevalence rates of mumps were 26%, 71%, and 84% in the 1- to 5-year, 6- to 15-year, and 16- to 40-year age groups, respectively, indicating a high burden in the community. Women in the 16- to 40-year age group exhibited a higher seroprevalence compared with males, with antibody levels consistently lower in males across both the 6- to 15-year and 16- to 40-year age groups (P <0.05). The present study highlights increasing mumps exposure with age and underscores the urgent need to include the mumps vaccine in the NIS to address the high disease burden and prevent complications.

Figure 1.

Mumps seroprevalence and anti-mumps IgG antibody levels stratified by age and sex in an urban population from Vellore, India. (A) Overall seroprevalence of mumps across the three age groups (1–5 years, 6–15 years, and 16–40 years). (B) Distribution of anti-mumps IgG antibody levels (relative units [RU]/mL) across these age groups. (C) Comparison of mumps seroprevalence between males and females within each age group. (D) Sex-based distribution of anti-mumps IgG antibody levels (RU/mL) for the three age groups, with statistical significance indicated (*P <0.05; ns = not significant). Bars and boxplots represent proportions and median antibody levels, respectively, along with interquartile ranges and outliers. Antibody levels were compared across age groups by using the Kruskal–Wallis test and between sexes with the Mann–Whitney U test.

Figure 2.

Mumps seroprevalence stratified by age group (1–5 years, 6–15 years, and 16–40 years) and geographical cluster (C1–C5) in an urban population from Vellore, India. Bars indicate the percentage of seropositive individuals in each cluster (C1 = Cluster 1: Kaspa; C2 = Cluster 2: Vasanthapuram; C3 = Cluster 3: Shenpakkam; C4 = Cluster 4: Mullipalayam; C5 = Cluster 5: SSk Maniyam).