Susceptibility to Mumps Infections in Tikrit City: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Immunization has a promising future. We are entering a new era in which it is expected that the number of available vaccines will double. Immunization services are increasingly used to deliver other important health interventions, making them a strong pillar of health systems. There are still millions of people who do not benefit from the protection that vaccination provides. They are at risk of life-threatening illness every day. In Iraq there are still thousands of children who do not complete all their doses and hence not fully protected.Aim: This study aiming to illustrate the mumps immunological status in adults and children in Tikrit city.Materials and methods: A Cross-sectional prospective study conducted in Tikrit Teaching Hospital and Primary Health Care Centers. The study population included adults and children from both gender. The adult's population group is recruited from university students, while the children are recruited from 6th primary, 1st, 2nd and 3rd secondary schools. The sample size is 100 subjects in each adult and children groups [50 subject males and 50 females]. Thus a minimum of 200 subjects to be included in the study. A pre-designed questionnaire is used for gathering data from each individual included in the study. A verbal informed consent taken from each individual before enrolment in the program. Data on vaccination was taken directly from each individual or vaccination cards if available. ELISA was used for determination of IgG for mumps diseases in central research Laboratory and Tikrit Laboratory’s. The tests were performed according to manufacturer instructions.Results: The mean value of optical density was with predictive value for mumps antibodies concentration. The mumps antibodies mean serum value was lower in adult subjects as compared to child group. This finding indicated that immune response to mumps decreased with time and contributes to resurgence of mumps in community. Thus the frequency of mumps none immune status was higher in adults as compared to child. Additionally, mumps immune response with high titer was significantly lower in adults than in children. The high titer rate was two times more in children than in adults. These figures indicated that IgG mumps antibody concentration confirmed the possibility of immune reduction with age and explain the outbreak of the disease in vaccinated subjects. Thus the present study finding may gave an explanation for the high rate of reported cases in Iraq in 2016 as compared to previous years. However, the war conflict may act as another factor that disturbs the vaccination program performance