A case of the Mumps in Collingwood has the health unit reminding parents to update their children’s immunizations.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is warning parents of students at one Collingwood public school to make sure their child’s immunizations are up to date after at least one Connaught Public School student was diagnosed with Mumps.
The school sent a letter home to parents on Feb. 1 saying the health unit informed them of the case of Mumps and indicated there were other children exposed.
The health unit has not yet responded to requests about other cases reported in the Collingwood area.
“Please see your health care provider if your child experiences the following symptoms before Feb. 24, 2019: fever, headache, muscle pain, tiredness, loss of appetite, swollen and painful glands,” states the letter that is signed by Dr. Colin Q-T Lee, associate medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. The Simcoe County District School Board provided CollingwoodToday.ca with a copy of the letter.
In 2017, there were two cases of mumps reported for the entire Simcoe Muskoka district, one case in 2015 and 2016 and zero cases in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 and 2009, there were seven cases reported, according to health unit stats online, which is the highest number of cases in a year between 2000 and 2017. In Ontario, there were fewer than two cases per 100,000 people in the province in 2017, which was up from the trend of fewer than .35 cases per 100,000 people in 2012-2016.
According to an information document put out by the health unit, the symptoms of mumps can show up about 12-25 days after being in close contact with someone with the mumps. Mumps is a virus and is contagious, but, according to the health unit, there is no risk for someone who has been vaccinated.
There is no specific treatment for the mumps, and complications from the disease can lead to meningitis, swelling of the testicles or ovaries, pancreatitis, and hearing loss.
To prevent the spread of mumps, the health unit recommends regular hand washing, avoiding sharing drinks from the same glass, water bottle or straw, and the mumps vaccine. The vaccine is a combination of immunizations against mumps, measles, and rubella given soon after the first birthday, and a booster is required at the age of 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is free in Ontario.
There was a spike in mumps cases reported in Ontario in 2008 due to an outbreak of mumps in southwestern Ontario.
In 2017, there was an outbreak in Toronto mainly affecting people aged 18-35 who were not up-to-date with their MMR vaccinations, according to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website.
