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Several schools in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, have advised parents to monitor their children for symptoms of mumps and keep those showing signs of the infection at home as cases spread.
The advisories, circulated through school communication platforms, warned that the viral illness is highly contagious.
“Dear parents and guardians, we would like to inform you that there has been a reported outbreak of mumps in our area and school community. Mumps is highly infectious and spreads easily through saliva, coughing, sneezing, and sharing items,” one school notice read.
Some schools also urged parents to keep children with symptoms away from school until they had been assessed by a medical professional.
“We are taking extra measures at school to sanitise and monitor the situation,” another school said in a message to parents.
A parent, who requested anonymity, said some schools had temporarily closed after cases were reported among pupils.
“I had a friend whose son got mumps. My son had it last month, too, so it is not like it is starting now. It has been there, and it is spreading; that is why we are seeing schools still offering the advisory a month later,” the parent told Nation Kenya.
Mumps is a viral infection characterised primarily by painful swelling of the parotid glands, the salivary glands located on either side of the face.
The disease commonly affects children between the ages of five and nine, but can also occur in teenagers and adults.
It spreads through respiratory droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes, as well as through direct contact with infected saliva.
Kenyan public health officer Brown Ashira said crowded classrooms, shared water bottles and close interaction among pupils increase the risk of transmission.
Ashira urged schools to improve natural ventilation, maintain good hygiene and strengthen water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) measures to curb the spread of the virus.
He noted that the incubation period for mumps ranges from 12 to 25 days, with symptoms typically appearing after 16 to 18 days. As a result, new infections may continue to emerge even after an outbreak appears to have subsided.
According to Ashira, vaccination remains the most effective protection against mumps, and he urged parents to ensure their children receive the recommended immunisations.
“Parents should ensure their children are vaccinated. The vaccination schedule depends on standard health programming, which begins from the time a child is born,” he said.
Ashira also urged the public not to panic, advising communities to maintain good hygiene, avoid close contact with infected individuals and seek medical attention if symptoms develop.
However, Kenya’s Ministry of Health said it had not received any official reports of a mumps outbreak in Nairobi.
“The Ministry of Health has not received any reports of a mumps outbreak in Nairobi. We have an established and robust vaccination programme for measles, mumps and rubella among many antigens,” Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said.
Duale assured Kenyans that the ministry would investigate the concerns through its public health surveillance systems and provide updates once the facts had been established.
