Mumps outbreak prompts jab warning

THE number of reported mumps cases has spiralled to 848 since January, compared with just 62 for the same period last year.

Already this year, there have been 16 outbreaks of mumps reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, compared with 26 in all of 2008.

There were 18 outbreaks of mumps in third-level institutions last year, seven in schools and one in a creche.