A mumps outbreak in Toronto has led to 26 confirmed cases in the city, including one at a public school.
Shari Shwartz-Maltz, spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, confirmed to CP24 on Monday that parents of Forest Hill Collegiate were made aware of one case of mumps at the school on Friday.
“Thursday afternoon the principals were notified that there was a student with mumps – this was after school,” Shwartz-Maltz said.
“The principal felt very strongly about notifying the staff first.”
She said that cleaning staff then completed an intense cleaning of the whole school after the principals were notified.
After the staff meeting, students and parents were contacted.
A parent of two children who attend the high school told CP24 that parents received a letter from the school board.
“The newsletter was sent out last week and of course it’s something to be concerned about but if your kids are vaccinated it’s nothing to worry about too much,” Carol Fernandez-Nalli said.
Fernandez-Nalli said any outbreak of any sort is concerning but the high school reacted pretty quickly to the case.
One student at the high school told CP24 that prior to the letter being sent out to the parents, the students heard the announcement over the intercom system.
“During class it came on the P.A.,” he said. “They said there was a case of the mumps.”
“I wasn’t too worried about it. Usually the school is kept clean.”
Despite the one confirmed case at the high school, the letter, obtained by CP24, told parents they should not be overly concerned.
“The risk of acquiring the mumps in Toronto schools is low because most schools have high vaccination rates and the mumps vaccine is required for school attendance in Ontario,” the letter said. “Students who are not up-to-date with mumps vaccinations can be excluded from school.”
In addition, spokesperson for Toronto Public Health, Dr. Vinita Dubey told CTV News Toronto that this case at the TDSB is outside of the normal age range that is typically diagnosed with mumps.
“In schools we know that we have high immunization rates – most schools have rates of 90 per cent or more,” Dubey said. “As well, in schools if we do have evidence that an outbreak is starting we can actually exclude students who are not up-to-date with their immunizations.”
“In schools, if we had low immunization rates it would definitely be concerning.”
Since the one case has been identified at a Toronto high school, the TDSB is asking parents to take precautionary measures for themselves and for their children.
As of now, the TDSB says this is the only case they are aware of and they have no further comment.
Mumps outbreak in the city
Along with this announcement, Toronto Public Health sent out a news release on Monday stating that they are investigating 26 confirmed cases of the infection in Toronto.
Prior this this, on Feb. 22 public health officials in Toronto said they were investigating 14 confirmed cases of mumps that were apparently linked to bars in the west end of the city.
Since then, the number of cases has increased.
According to TPH, the lab-confirmed cases have been involving people between the ages of 18 and 35 although some cases, including the one at the TDSB, fall outside of this age range.
Dubey said TPH is expecting the numbers of cases to continue to grow.
“Because the incubation period is long – 12-24 days – we expect to see additional cases in the next two to three weeks,” she said.
The mumps virus is located in saliva and respiratory droplets and is spread between people through coughing, sneezing and coming into contact with a person’s salvia by sharing drinks or utensils, food or water bottles or by kissing.
As well, public health officials have noted a major factor contributing to outbreaks is being in a crowded environment, such as attending the same class, playing on the same sports team or living in a dormitory with a person who has the mumps.
Symptoms of the infection include fever, swelling of one or more salivary glands, a loss of appetite, tiredness, and headaches.
Complication from mumps can include an infection in the brain, painful swelling of the testicles or the ovaries, pancreatitis and hearing loss. As well, pregnant women who become infected with mumps during the first three months of pregnancy are at risk of miscarriage.
TPH is reminding people to check their vaccination record as it is recommended for people born in 1970 or later to have to receive two doses of mumps vaccine. For young children, they should receive one dose after their first birthday and the second dose between the ages of four and six.
As well, TPH is warning people born between 1970 and 1992 that they may have received only one dose as a child.
“If an adult is unsure about their vaccinations or has only received one dose of mumps-containing vaccine, a booster dose is recommended,” TPH said in the news release.
In the news release, it was also added that people should ensure that all of their immunizations are up-to-date prior to travelling.
Furthermore, TPH said there has been an increased amount of mumps diagnoses this year, including cases in Manitoba, Western Canada hockey teams and other parts of Canada and the United States.
