Ottawa Public Health says it is monitoring potential local exposure to mumps after a laboratory case was confirmed in a neighbouring area.
Health officials would not say where the confirmed case occurred, but did say Ottawa is not currently experiencing an outbreak. Leeds, Grenville and Lanark County Public Health officials said the same thing.
"Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is not currently experiencing an increase in the number of mumps cases. A neighbouring health unit has informed OPH about 1 laboratory confirmed case of mumps with potential contacts in Ottawa," Eric LeClair, a spokesperson for Ottawa Public Health said in an emailed statement.
Mumps is a highly contagious virus that is found in respiratory fluids and saliva and can be spread through coughing, sneezing, even kissing. It can cause fever, headache, swelling of the neck and jaw and in rare cases, meningitis. Mumps is considered a preventable disease as anyone with an up-to-date vaccination is highly unlikely to contract mumps.
Residents across Canada are being urged to check their vaccination records after a number of confirmed cases across the country. 17 cases have been confirmed in Toronto, several other cases have benched hockey players with the Vancouver Canucks and a number of other mumps cases have been recorded in Alberta.
Health officials are contacting individuals who might have come into contacting with the individual "as per regular operational procedure."
Last year there was only one case in Ottawa, up from zero in 2014.
