Public Health offers mumps vaccination

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.