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Vancouver Coastal Health is warning teens and young adults to ensure they are protected against the mumps as cases of the viral illness continue to swell.

The health authority says there have been 13 new cases of mumps across the region in the last month and 80 since February, well above the average of 32 illnesses annually between 2011 and 2015.

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Public health officials say the latest patients range in age from 18 to 33.

As students return to high school, college or university and live in shared spaces, often with close personal contact, officials say they are at increased risk of contracting the airborne illness, which frequently causes uncomfortable swelling of salivary glands.

The health authority says mumps is spread by contact with saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose or throat of an infected person and can be transmitted by a cough, sneeze, or kissing, as well as by sharing food, drinks, or cigarettes.