Flin Flon has fared comparatively well during a mumps outbreak in northern Manitoba.
A total of 98 cases of the highly contagious viral disease were reported across the Northern Health Region (NHR) in June, with another 94 in July.
“In a typical year, we’d see zero, maybe three, four, five cases. This is extremely high for us in the North,” said NHR medical health officer Dr. Michael Isaac.
While numbers have yet to be finalized for August, more than 60 cases had already been reported as of mid last week.
Additional cases were possible given the lag time between exposure to mumps and the presence of symptoms.
Isaac confirmed cases of mumps have been reported in Flin Flon in the past three months, but the number is lower than in other northern locations.
“In general, the number of cases that we’ve had in Flin Flon has been relatively lower than we’ve seen in some other parts in the region,” he said. “That’s not to say that the virus might not work its way into the community, given a bit more time.
“We’ve seen it in small communities, in First Nations communities and in some of our larger communities as well. I would say for the most part, there hasn’t been a community where we haven’t seen at least a case or two.”
Mumps has been reported in all age groups.
The disease is characterized by fever, headaches, muscle pains and glandular swelling in the neck, chin and jaw.
In serious cases, mumps can cause brain infections, meningitis, genital inflammation and swelling, and deafness.
Isaac confirmed none of the cases reported in the NHR have involved the more severe symptoms.
“We’re not seeing some of the significant and real consequences of the mumps,” he said. “We just haven’t seen much of that in Manitoba.”
Mumps can lay dormant in a person for up to three weeks before symptoms present.
Most people receive a vaccination against the disease as children.
Isaac said a higher-than-average number of people in northern Manitoba are vaccinated, which reduces both the number of potential infections and the severity of symptoms.
“Our vaccination rates are actually a little bit higher than the rest of the province, which is contributing to the less severe cases we’re seeing,” he said.
Isaac said it’s very difficult to say what is behind the northern outbreak.
One possible reason is that mumps can spread more easily when people live in overcrowded housing and in smaller, tight-knit communities.
“It’s just a lot easier for the virus to spread in those places,” Isaac said. “People are out and about in the community and your chances of being exposed to the virus on any given day may be higher than if you were living in Winnipeg.”
Avoiding the mumps is as simple as receiving a vaccination. Isaac advises people to check their vaccination status and receive boosters if needed.
“If you haven’t had a mumps vaccine in the past, we’re encouraging people to go ahead and do that,” he said. “That will offer some protection for sure.”
People who suspect they have the mumps are advised to call ahead to a clinic or ER and book an appointment in advance.
“That helps from spreading the disease around unnecessarily when going through care,” Isaac said.
For people who strongly suspect they have the mumps, Isaac says the best course of action is to self-isolate for five days.
“Once the five days is up, their chance of spreading the virus to anyone else is extremely low,” he said.
