Unvaccinated boys at risk of mumps-linked testicular problem

A recent study reports a significant increase in the number of young boys and males with a mumps-related testicle condition called mumps orchitis. This disease causes one or both testicles to swell and can lead to fertility problems.
According to experts, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine should be offered to all unvaccinated males aged 15-24, and they should be educated about mumps orchitis, said Irish urologists who reviewed five decades worth of research and statistics. The biggest problem is that boys that did not receive the MMR vaccine during the mid-1990s are now collecting in large numbers in secondary schools and colleges, and this provides a perfect breeding ground for the [mumps] virus

It’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of males who develop mumps after puberty can suffer from orchitis. This is of considerable concern as epidemics of mumps orchitis are now being reported more frequently in countries worldwide

The paper appears in the April issue of the urology journal BJUI.