Taipei City health officials yesterday advised people who are preparing to travel to Canada in the near future to be vaccinated against mumps before departure. Canada is experiencing an outbreak of the highly infectious disease, with about 300 cases being reported last month, officials said.
Mumps is an acute viral disease which is spread by saliva droplets or direct contact with articles contaminated with saliva. Children aged nine or younger are prone to the disease.
not severe
While symptoms are generally not severe in children, nearly 30 percent of male adults who are infected with mumps develop orchitis -- an imflammation of the testis -- while about 5 percent of infected female patients develop ovaritis -- an inflammation of the ovaries.
The incubation period is usually between 12 days and 25 days, with affected persons suffering from fever and a painful swelling of the salivary glands, said Lin Pi-fen (林碧芬), deputy chief of the city's disease control department.
free inoculations
Lin said that Taiwan began a free inoculation service against mumps in 2004. Since then, the infection rate has significantly decreased throughout the nation, with only five cases being reported last year.
Although mumps is not usually a fatal disease, she said, the rate of infections is used internationally as an indicator of a nation's public health.
She advised parents to vaccinate all infants aged between 12 months and 15 months and for anyone planning to travel to affected areas to be vaccinated at least two weeks before departing on their trip.
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