Frequency of lymphocytic meningitis associated with mumps before and after a mass campaign for mumps vaccination in children from Salvador, Northeast Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To describe the frequency of lymphocytic meningitis(LM) concomitant with mumps, before and after the mumps mass immunization campaign in 1997. METHOD Demographic, clinical and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) information was collected from the chart of all patients aged from 2 to 59 months, whose CSF exam was performed at the CSF Lab/FJS, between 1989 and 2001. LM was defined as pleocytosis composed by lymphomononuclear cells and negative exams for bacterial or mycologic infection. RESULTS Of 1,519 patients, 894(58.9%) had normal exams. LM was present in 301(19.8%) patients, out of which 22(7.3%) had concomitant mumps. The frequency of LM ranged from 15.8% in 1989 to 19.7% in 2001 and of LM with concomitant Mumps ranged from 10.5% in 1989 to 4.7% in 1995, when the last cases were registered. CONCLUSION It is probable that the mumps vaccine campaign has influenced the absence of LM with concomitant Mumps, from 1996 to 2001.