Both confirmed cases and people who may have come in contact with a contagious individual could be asked to isolate themselves.

Symptoms take about 12 to 25 days to develop and include fever, muscle aches, low appetite, a general malaise and the swelling of glands in the cheek and jaw area.

The virus can spread through the exchange of saliva, sharing food or drink and respiratory droplets expelled from coughing or sneezing.

A person with mumps is contagious about seven days before and five days after classic swelling in the salivary glands present, explained Hau.

Three of the individuals confirmed with the illness in Peel have up-to-date vaccinations and the immunization history for the fourth cannot be confirmed.

Most people born before 1970 have been infected with mumps and are typically immune, according to health officials.

Those born between 1970 and 1992 are likely to only have one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and are advised by health officials to get a second dose to boost immunity.

There is no treatment for mumps and complications can include encephalitis and meningitis.

In the last three years there have been four confirmed cases of mumps in Peel.

Between 2011 and 2015 there were 13 cases of mumps reported in the region.

Peel Health continues to monitor the ongoing outbreak in Toronto and is advising local physicians to watch for symptoms in patients.

Doctors are also being encouraged to make sure patient vaccinations are up-to-date.

Mumps is a reportable infection and relatively rare in Canada.

Since the mumps vaccine was approved in Canada in 1969, the average number of cases each year has nosedived from tens of thousands to less than 100.

