Amherst students warned of possible exposure to mumps

Students at Amherst Regional High School are being advised they may have been exposed to mumps.

In a letter from the area’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Ryan Sommers, students were told Public Health investigates many communicable diseases to prevent spread and protect the health of the public.

“We have determined that you may have been exposed to mumps in the classroom setting,” Sommers said in the letter.

According to Public Health’s records, the last possible day anyone may have been exposed to mumps would have been March 29.

“This means anyone exposed could develop the illness between April 5 and April 23,” he said in the letter.

Mumps is a virus and is usually spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or by sharing food or drinks. Symptoms may include swelling and pain in the jaw (one or both cheeks may look swollen), fever, headache, earache, tiredness, aching muscles and joints, sore throat and pain when swallowing or opening the mouth, poor appetite and vomiting.

It usually takes two to three weeks for symptoms to appear after being exposed.

For more serious symptoms, such as a stiff neck or severe headache, painful testicles, or severe belly pain, a doctor must be consulted immediately.

Sommers asks anyone experiencing symptoms to contact Public Health or their family doctor, even if they’ve been vaccinated. Mumps can be diagnosed by a doctor’s exam and through lab testing.

He said the best protection against mumps is vaccination. In Canada, every person should have received two shots of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine following their first birthday. If unsure, people should contact their family doctor to ensure vaccinations are up to date.

There is no cost for a measlesmumps-rubella vaccination.

For further information, contact Public Health at 902-6673319 and ask to speak to a public health nurse in the communicable disease program.