Clinical and epidemiological features of mumps infection in 2023–2024 in the Republic of Dagestan

Objective. Characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of mumps infection in 2023–2024 in the Republic of Dagestan. Materials and methods. Epidemiological and molecular biological methods were used in the work. A molecular biological study was conducted on the oropharyngeal swab samples taken from patients treated at the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Dagestan «Republican Center for Infectious Diseases, Prevention and Control of AIDS named after S.M. Magomedov», Makhachkala. Samples of biomaterial were taken upon admission, during treatment and before discharge. RNA of the mumps virus was detected in smears from the oropharyngeal swab samples using the polymerase chain reaction method. The material for the epidemiological study was the medical records of patients. Results. The clinical and epidemiological features of mumps infection in 2023–2024 were considered using the Republic of Dagestan as an example. An analysis of laboratory-confirmed cases of mumps in hospitalized children and adults was carried out. Preservation of winter-spring seasonality was shown. Adolescents and young adults predominated in the age structure. In 53.66% of hospitalized patients, mumps was accompanied by the following complications: orchitis, pancreatitis, measles, meningitis. All patients were found to have had contact with patients with mumps. Unvaccinated children predominated among hospitalized children (76%). It was also shown that in the first three days from the onset of the disease, the RNA of the mumps virus is contained in oropharyngeal swabs at a concentration of 103–109 GE / ml. In unvaccinated individuals, viral RNA is detected much longer, which also emphasizes the importance of immunization. Conclusion. Considering the clinical and epidemiological features of mumps infection at the present stage, the possibility of early detection of RNA of the mumps virus by PCR is shown, which will improve the diagnosis of this disease.