Share via: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

More

Londoners who frequent downtown bars may want to check their immunization records as the mumps appear to be making the rounds in the city’s core.

The Middlesex London Health Unit announced on Wednesday two cases of the viral infection that causes painful swelling of salivary glands have been confirmed among people who visited downtown bars. While the two cases are connected, public health officials are unsure whether more people have been infected.

“We want to get the word out to people who may have headed downtown to enjoy the nightlife recently, that they may have been exposed to the mumps virus unknowingly,” Dr. Alex Summers, associate medical officer of health with the health unit, said in a statement. “They should watch themselves closely for the development of symptoms.

Anyone who develops a fever, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue and or swelling or pain near the jaw or cheeks is advised to contact their doctor.

Complications from mumps can cause infections of the brain, the lining of the brain, ovaries, breasts or pancreas. One in three men infected with mumps develop testicle infections which can cause infertility. Women in their first trimester of pregnancy who contract mumps can see an increased risk of miscarriage. In rare cases, mumps can lead to deafness.

It is recommended those between the ages of 18 months and 50-years-old receive two measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccinations. The health unit is advising people born between 1970 and 1991 to get a booster of the MMR vaccine.

Additional information about mumps can be found by clicking here.