CASES of mumps almost tripled in Scotland last year but the outbreak appears to be waning.
More than 800 people were diagnosed with the illness in 2015 and many had been immunised with the triple measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
Experts at Health Protection Scotland say the outbreak - which particularly affected students - may be due to people having a poor immune response to the mumps component of the vaccine or the response wearing-off over time.
However, the number of people contracting mumps this year has decreased with 119 people diagnosed in the first three months of 2016, down on 260 for the same period last year.
A report by Health Protection Scotland, which monitors cases, said the high number of cases detected in Scotland last year was linked to an outbreak which swept the community and educational establishments.
It continues: "Correspondence with consultants in public health medicine in the affected boards highlighted that a significant proportion of cases had received one or two doses of MMR and the observed increase in cases may represent poor initial immune response to the mumps component of the MMR vaccine and/or waning immunity within the fully and/or partially vaccinated population."
The reports notes people over the age of 25 who caught mumps may not have had full protection against the illness as they did not routinely receive two doses of the MMR vaccine.
During the outbreak analysis showed most of those affected were in the 15 to 24 age bracket, although patients range in age from one to 84.
There have been sporadic outbreaks of mumps across the UK since 2004.
Mumps is a viral infection best known for causing painful swellings on the side of the face, although it can also trigger headaches, joint pain and a temperature. Experts have stressed MMR is very effective against measles and rubella.
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