The data shows there were 795 cases of the highly contagious viral disease recorded in the first quarter of this year - extrapolated for the whole of 2019 it would equate to 3,180. This is almost five times more than the 145 recorded in the first quarter of 2016 - or 580 for the year. Symptoms often include fever, muscle pain and swelling of the salivary glands. Complications can include meningitis and sterility in men.
Emily Cleary, 41, a mother of two from Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, caught mumps last August.
The journalist said she woke up to a swollen tongue. "I felt I was going to choke to death because of the swelling," she said.
"The virus affected me for over six months afterwards. My GP thinks I caught it from an unvaccinated child. Every child that can be vaccinated should be vaccinated."
The increase in cases of mumps, revealed in Government figures, are
