Incidence of chickenpox and mumps in Karbala Governorate with their seasonal variation

Abstract

Objectives Chickenpox and mumps are viral diseases caused by varicella zoster virus and mumps virus, respectively. Chickenpox is still a
common communicable health problem among children. Mumps tends to affect older children more often than chickenpox. The study
aimed to show the annual incidence of chickenpox and mumps with their correlation to gender and age groups.
Methods Descriptive retrospective study. Total of 60,499 patients were included in this study. All data are collected during 2016 at Aon
Primary Health Centre in Karbala province.
Results Data of this study reveals that the incidence rate = 165.3/1000 for chickenpox and 97.5/1000 for mumps. The highest incidence rate
for both infections according to age groups was among 5–9 years followed by 10–14 years. Seasonal variation was common during winter
and spring for both diseases.
Conclusion High incidence for both mumps and varicella zoster infection, in addition, most of the age groups affected were within 5–14 years.