AHS confirms four mumps cases at University of Alberta

Four cases of mumps have been confirmed at the University of Alberta's north campus in Edmonton, U of A and Alberta Health Services officials said Friday.

The confirmation of a cluster of cases at the U of A comes as Albertans are being advised that a mumps outbreak in southern Alberta could spread north.

Four students from the university's business program have been infected with the virus. They are being monitored and supported by AHS medical staff.

University official Kevin Friese said the cluster of mumps cases is the most serious public health risk at the university since an H1N1 outbreak in 2013.

Zone medical officer of health Dr. Joanna Oda said it's unclear how the students came in contact with the virus.

"It's a gathering place of young people and there's lots of saliva sharing in a university," Oda said.

"We have people from a wide variety of backgrounds who may or may not have been immunized."

Oda said there were two confirmed mumps cases in the Edmonton zone last year. In 2015, there were none.

'It's definitely something that we're watching'

Students at the U of A have been warned about the cluster. They are also being asked to check their immunization records and to consider getting vaccinated if they haven't been already.

"We've taken steps to reach out to our community," said Friese, assistant dean of students, health and wellness.

"We have determined these are linked cases and, as far as we know, they are the only cases at the University of Alberta."

There is a chance more students will develop mumps symptoms, Friese said.

Many students are away from the Edmonton campus because of reading week. The university will issue another warning when they return next week.

AHS has also notified schools and post-secondary institutions across the province and alerted physicians and public health nurses to be on the lookout for symptoms.

"There is certainly no need for panic but any time something like this happens, we keep a very close eye on it," said Dr. Jeff Blackmer, a vice-president with the Canadian Medical Association.

"It's definitely something that we're watching."

As of Feb. 24, there were 17 confirmed cases of mumps in Alberta — two in Calgary, five in Edmonton and nine in the province's south zone.

According to AHS, the nine lab-confirmed cases of mumps the south zone are mostly players and coaches with a WHL team, the Medicine Hat Tigers. Health officials suspect the players picked up the virus during a recent game with the Brandon Wheat Kings, another team dealing with an outbreak.

Manitoba and Ontario are both reporting an increase in cases, with 162 confirmed cases in Manitoba since Sept. 1 and 19 cases in Ontario. Most patients hit with the virus have been between 17 and 29 years old.

There have also been several outbreaks reported in the U.S this season, mainly in university populations, AHS said.

"It's not surprising that's where we're seeing some of these focused areas of outbreak," Blackmer said.

"You've got young people in close proximity who may have had only one dose of the vaccine, and then they're sharing water bottles … and they're in very close proximity in the locker room, in hotel rooms, and on the bus when they're coughing and sneezing."

'It's not always a benign condition'

With its telltale chipmunk cheeks, mumps is a contagious viral infection that can cause painful swelling of the salivary glands, especially the parotid glands.

It usually goes away on its own in about 10 days, but in some cases it can cause complications that affect the brain, the testicles, the ovaries or the pancreas.

People experiencing more serious symptoms, such as a stiff neck or a severe headache, painful testicles or severe belly pain are advised to contact their doctor right away.

"It's not always a benign condition, so that's one of the reasons why it's so important to get taken care of if you have it," Blackmer said. "It's extremely preventable."

There is a mumps vaccine. The shot is part of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox) vaccines, and the two doses recommended for full immunization are usually administered to children as part of their regular vaccinations.

In Canada, those born between about 1970 to 1994 may have received only one dose of the mumps-containing vaccine. That makes them a susceptible population, said Blackmer. He encourages everyone to check with their doctor to ensure they are fully protected.

"Since the vaccine was created, the rates have gone down astronomically from 30,000 cases per year to just a handful. The vaccine is incredibly effective."