The researchers found seroprevalence rates of 93, 93, and 100 percent for
mumps, measles, and rubella, respectively, as determined by immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
While the illness is typically seen in crowded living spaces such as college dorms, "this is the first report of
mumps outbreaks in detention facilities," according to a team of researchers led by Jessica Leung.
Mumps is transmitted by direct contact with saliva or droplets from the saliva of an infected person.
"It is normal to see
mumps outbreaks in this group, but it looks like there are more cases this year.
Across the South East there were 263 confirmed cases of
mumps between January and May.
In the first five months of the year, 2,322 cases of
mumps were laboratory-confirmed, compared to 1,042 cases in the whole of 2018.
Events like festivals can be hot spots for measles and
mumps, NHS bosses have said.
Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Homeland Security agency responsible for the long-term detention and deportation of people who are in the country illegally, said on Friday that they have quarantined 5,200 migrants at 39 detention facilities across the country, most after exposure to
mumps.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told AFP that as of June 13 almost 4,300 detainees were being confined across 39 facilities for exposure to
mumps, more than 800 for exposure to chicken pox, and about a hundred for both.
Mumps most commonly affects children, but older people who haven't been vaccinated are at risk.
The
mumps incidence rate is determined by unvaccinated adults.