Students warned about mumps as province sees 87 cases since September

Winter illnesses are once again making the rounds. On top of an outbreak of whooping cough in southern Manitoba and a spike in ER visits ahead of flu season, the province is contending with an ongoingoutbreak of the mumps.

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Earlier this week, Grant Park High School sent a note to parents warning of a few recent cases of mumps at the school.

A similar warning was issued last October at the University of Manitoba.

According to Manitoba Public Health, the province typically sees around four or five cases of mumps a year. But between Sept. 1 of last year and Jan. 5 of this yearthere were 87 confirmed cases, the province says.

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Dr. Bunmi Fatoye, medical officer of health for infectious diseases with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said the WRHA declared a mumps outbreak in October 2016 and has been monitoring the situation ever since.

"Any time we see diseases that we know, or we think, should no longer be seen is a concern for us," Fatoye said.

Mumps is highly contagious, but can be prevented by a vaccine, Fatoye said.

"It can be frustrating to see the diseases [that have vaccines], but I think it's also an opportunity for us to keep educating the public and increase their awareness around the importance of immunization," she said.

Immunization, hand hygiene recommended

According to the province, most of the cases in people aged 17 to 29 are connected to the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and Universit de St. Boniface. Many cases involvestudents who live in Winnipeg and participate in sports.

Symptoms of the mumps usually include fever and swelling along the jawline on both sides of the neck, Fatoye said. Provincial officials have said symptoms can take up to 25 days to develop.

She warned that even people who have already been immunized can get the viral infection, although it will likely be a milder version than those without immunization.

Fatoye said the outbreak is likely due to Manitobans who haven't been vaccinated getting sick and spreading the virus to others.

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To stay healthy, Fatoye recommendskeeping your immunizations up to date and practicing good hand hygiene, which will also help reduce the transmission of the virus.

If you do get sick, she says it's important to stay away from socialand sporting activities to prevent spreading the mumps to others.

More information on mumpsa weekly update from the province can be found at Manitoba Public Health's mumps page.

If you think you have mumps or have been in close contact with someone who does, the province says you should phone your health care provider, or Health Linksat 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257.