Resurgence of Mumps in India: A Call to Reintroduce MMR into the Immunization Program

The recent rise in mumps outbreaks across several Indian states exposes a critical gap in the national immunization framework specifically, the absence of mumps vaccination in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). As mumps is currently excluded from the India's Universal Immunization Program and only the MR vaccine is administered, millions of children remain susceptible to this vaccine-preventable disease. In accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) guidelines, this communication urges policymakers to reintroduce the MMR vaccine into India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).