Last year, a large outbreak of mumps swept through Canada, infecting 800 young adults, most of them college and university students.
Young Canadians, born between 1970 and 1991, are vulnerable because they may have had only one dose of mumps vaccine in childhood.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health will be offering mumps catch-up clinics at the University of Guelph’s J.T. Powell Building on Feb. 2 and 3, noon to 7pm; at a walk-in clinic.
Any students who have had only one shot of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine may be at risk of contracting mumps.
Susan Otten, program manager of vaccine preventable disease at WDG Public Health said, “This is a free walk-in clinic for anyone born between 1970 and1991. If you are a student, check your immunization card. If you haven’t had two doses of the mumps vaccine, be sure to stop by the clinic.”
Mumps is a viral infection that can be prevented. Complications from mumps include loss of hearing, meningitis, and encephalitis. A person is infectious to others up to seven days before and nine days after the onset of swelling.
For more information about mumps and the MMR vaccine, visit www.wdghu.org.
