Health officials investigating potential cases of the mumps

Alberta Health Services said officials are investigating a number of potential cases of mumps in the Edmonton-area, in addition to cases in other parts of the province and the country.

Usually, health officials said there are between zero and two cases of mumps in the Edmonton-area a year – but officials said they’re currently investigating up to four potential cases.

Meanwhile, officials said a number of cases have been identified in the Medicine Hat and Lethbridge areas – and the number of cases will likely go up.

The Medicine Hat Tigers team has confirmed about half a dozen players and a coach have confirmed cases of the mumps – and the team has taken steps to prevent the spread of the illness since the first player first showed symptoms two weeks ago.

The team played against the Edmonton Oil Kings in Edmonton twice over the past four weeks. No one from the Oil Kings has contracted the mumps.

In Ontario, Toronto is seeing a surge, with 14 cases linked to bars in the city’s downtown core.

AHS said the virus is easily spread in crowded environments.

“There are a number of ways it can be spread,” Dr. Chris Sikora with AHS said. “One of the ways is through contact, if we touch infected items and then touch our mouth, nose and mouth, we can contract the illness, just like influenza.”

The illness is preventable by vaccine – it is usually administered to patients at 12 months, and again between 4 and 6-years-old.

“There shouldn’t be any increased risk to the public, overall,” Dr. Sikora said. “But again, we’re reminding people to know their immunization status and to take those extra precautions.”

Symptoms of the mumps include fever, aches and swollen facial glands, anyone concerned they may have caught the virus is asked to call Health Link at 811.

With files from Carmen Leibel