Health workers to get mumps booster in battle against the spread of the disease

May 14 2007

The outbreak of mumps which is currently rife in parts of Canada has prompted Health officials to make 40,000 doses of a mumps booster available to health workers across Nova Scotia.

The immunisation plans were announced last week as the number of cases hit 222 since February; normally only one or two cases a year are seen.

Nova Scotia is struggling to contain the outbreak of the highly contagious disease and the immunization programme will start this week.

It is reported that six health-care workers in the province have been diagnosed with mumps, but more than 500 in total have been in close contact with a person with mumps at or outside work.

Currently, 127 workers who have been exposed and those who have tested as having no immunity have been forced to take leave.

Medical officer Dr. Shelly Sarwal says though the vaccination campaign will not stop the outbreak it will help to manage absenteeism in health-care workers as a result of the mumps outbreak.

Most of those affected are between the ages of 20 and 25, and health officials are now considering immunizing the university-age population.

Those at most at risk were born between 1970 and 1992 when the triple vaccination for mumps, measles and rubella appears to not have been strong enough.

The majority of cases have been in Dalhousie University students but cases have also appeared in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and in Ontario.

Mumps causes swollen and tender glands, fever and other flu-like symptoms, but can also lead to sterility, deafness and viral meningitis and encephalitis; it is spread by coughing, sneezing, sharing drinks and food, and by kissing.

It can also lead to complications or miscarriage in pregnant women.

It can be contagious for about seven days before symptoms appear, and for up to nine days after.

Both the U.S. and the UK have also experienced larger mumps outbreaks in recent years and in response has also launched vaccination campaigns for university-aged people.