By Elysia-Marie Campbell
Concerns over the mumps were heightened in the West Island after the Valois Pool in Pointe-Claire received notice a young pool member could have been carrying the virus during a recent visit.
Parents notified the pool that their daughter was at the pool on Thursday, and was preliminarily diagnosed and tested for it on Friday.
The pool then sent out a health notice to its users warning them about the case, and provided information about the virus with a link to Quebec’s government’s Health and Wellness Portal.
Christopher Laurin, the chair of the pool committee for the Valois Citizen’s Association, said people used the notice as an opportunity make comments on the importance of vaccinating children.
“It really wasn’t about that. Our member had been vaccinated and she just wanted to do the responsible thing and let people know,” said Laurin.
The case still hasn’t been confirmed, as it can take up to two weeks to get the test results back, he said.
Dr. Renee Pare of Montreal Public Health said almost everyone is vaccinated against the mumps, as it is offered as part of Quebec’s school program.
“If you receive your vaccine, you are less prone to get it or suffer from complications,” said Pare.
She said that the vaccination provides about an 85 per cent chance of protection against the virus.
“Mumps can only really be spread through saliva, sharing of water bottles, someone coughing on you, that sort of thing,” said Laurin.
Normally, there are around five mumps cases per year.
“This year, there was an outbreak of 28 cases between the months of November to April,” said Pare, but adds the outbreak was declared over in June.
According to Canada’s Public Health Agency, there is no treatment for the mumps, but most people recover on their own within 3 to 10 days.