HEALTH experts are warning of the dangers of mumps in Wales, as too many young people remain unprotected with the MMR vaccine.

By the end of May there had been 76 confirmed cases across Wales, compared to 77 for the whole of 2011 and 88 in 2012.

And while Gwent is not a hotpsot for mumps - most cases so far have been in west and mid-Wales - Public Health Wales is reminding all parents that two doses of MMR vaccine protects against mumps, as well as measles and rubella.

"Outbreaks of mumps very often occur in older children and teenagers and there is a very real concern that while we have too few people aged 10 to 18 vaccinated with MMR in Wales, they are at risk of mumps as well as measles," said Dr Marion Lyons, director of health protection for Public Health Wales.

"Mumps is always circulating in Wales but the number of cases we have seen this year is particularly high. It is important for young people and their parents to be aware that this can be a serious infection."

Mumps, a viral infection caught from the saliva of an infected person, causes a headache and fever followed in a few days by painful swelling of glands in the neck on one or both sides.

It is usually a mild infection but can have severe consequences such as meningitis and orchitis (swelling of the testicles) which can be extremely painful in teenagers and young men.

The mumps warning comes as Public Health Wales continues to encourage young people to get vaccinated with MMR to protect against measles.

The measles outbreak in Swansea, which also triggered an increase of cases across Wales, is slowing. Gwent cases too are falling, with just six cases notified to date in June, against 41 in May and 65 in April.

But overall this year in Wales there have been more than 1,400 cases, and Dr Lyons said there remains no room for complacency.

"The measles outbreak centred on Swansea has slowed significantly, but parents should not believe this is the last we will see of measles in Wales if large numbers remain unvaccinated," she said.

"This outbreak has shown us how quickly infection can spread between people who are not vaccinated. We can't rule out another large outbreak of measles or mumps in the coming months or years."