OTTAWA, Mar 14, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The number of preventable cases of
mumps is increasing in Canada, and federal officials say part of the problem is
opposition to vaccinations.
Dr. Paul Varughese of the federal Public Health Agency told the Ottawa Citizen
the number of cases jumped from 17 in 2006 to 1,284 reported in 2007. He said
there are already 130 cases reported this year.
"Some people don't want to immunize their kid because of religious or
philosophical reasons, they say 'I don't believe in the vaccine' or 'the vaccine
causes more harm than good.' But they are not science-based decisions,"
Varughese said.
He said the agency recommends children get mumps vaccine at 12 months and again
at 18 months or, at a doctor's discretion, at 4-6 years of age, the report said.
In children, mumps inflames the salivary glands, which is rarely fatal, but very
uncomfortable, said Dr. Gillian Arsenault, a medical officer in British
Columbia.
By 1983, all Canadian provinces offered a single vaccine against measles, mumps
and rubella, but rising mumps infection rates indicate fewer children are
getting them, the report said.
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