Public health officials are still trying to contain an outbreak of mumps, after almost 100 cases of the virus were confirmed in southern Alberta.
In the Chinook Health Region, which covers the Lethbridge area, most of the 38 confirmed and 21 suspected cases are connected to the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College.
In the Calgary area, 57 cases have been reported between January and October; 43 of those cases were identified in October alone. Six of the recent cases were players on the University of Calgary's Dino's hockey team. Health officials are now warning all hockey players in the city not to share water bottles or mouth guards.
The province is offering free mumps immunizations in two phases: first to post-secondary students, then to everyone in the high-risk population between the ages of 17 and 26. People in this age group received only one dose of the mumps vaccine when they were children, which is now thought to have worn off.
Those born before 1970 are assumed to have been exposed to the mumps virus at some point in their life and are therefore immune. Those younger than 17 have been vaccinated twice.
In an effort to publicize the immunization clinics, the province has borrowed some graphic advertisements from Nova Scotia, where more than 700 cases of mumps have been reported since an outbreak began last February.
In one ad, a pair of flaming basketballs are accompanied by the headline: "The swelling's not so bad. It's the severe testicular pain... '' It then reminds that the mumps can lead to sterility, meningitis and deafness.
The posters have been so popular that many have been stolen in the Chinook region.
Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands that causes fever, headache and swollen glands around the jaw. In rare cases, it can lead to serious complications such as those listed above.
The virus can be spread from about seven days before glands become swollen, to nine days after. There is no specific treatment.
More than 13,500 people have already been vaccinated, and clinics will continue into December at universities and colleges. A general immunization phase is set to start in early December to target the 475,000 people who could be at risk.
Vanessa Maclean, acting medical officer of health for the Chinook Health Region, says it
could still be a while before there's a slowdown in the number of cases, noting that even after immunization it takes about 12 days for someone to be protected.
Dr. Judy MacDonald of the Calgary Health Region says she also expects to see more cases in the short term because the vaccination campaign is just now in full activation.
