Seroprevalence of mumps and rubella antibodies among Indian children: evidence of a mumps immunity gap

Vaccine

Volume 76, 19 March 2026, 128291 doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128291

Huy Quang Quach Lara I. Teodoro, Tamar Ratishvili, Inna G. Ovsyannikova, Sara P. Jones, Iype Joseph, John B. Johnson, M. Radhakrishna Pillai, Gregory A. Poland, Joshy Jacob , Richard B. Kennedy

Abstract

Mumps and rubella are highly contagious, vaccine-preventable diseases; however, India's National Immunization Program prioritizes rubella while excluding mumps. In this cross-sectional study, we measured mumps- and rubella-specific IgG seroprevalence in 508 children (49.6% female) from Kerala and evaluated demographic associations. Seropositivity was 78.5% (95% CI, 74.8–81.9%) for mumps and 99.4% (95% CI, 98.3–99.8%) for rubella. Mumps IgG titers were significantly higher in females (p = 0.0061) and increased with vaccine doses (p < 0.001), whereas rubella IgG titers showed no such associations (p> 0.05). IgG titers for both mumps (r = −0.13, p = 0.0043) and rubella (r = −0.23, p < 0.001) declined with time since vaccination, indicating waning immunity. The contrast between high rubella and lower mumps immunity likely reflects differences in vaccination prioritization and support the inclusion of mumps-containing vaccines into India's National Immunization Program, ideally through universal adoption of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.