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Tigers connected to all confirmed Alberta mumps cases: AHS

Feb 23, 2017 | 5:58 PM

Medicine Hat, AB — For the first time in 10 years Alberta is experiencing an outbreak of the mumps. In total there’s been 9 lab-confirmed cases of the extremely contagious disease, and Alberta Health Services says all of them are connected to the Medicine Hat Tigers.

A lot of things can be exchanged on the ice — including a contagious disease like the mumps.

According to AHS the Tigers current bout with the viral infection began after taking on the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team with confirmed cases of the disease.

“Feeling fever and a little like swollen, so called doctor and he said ‘it’s probably mumps’,” Tigers forward John Dahlstrom said earlier this week about being diagnosed with the virus.

In addition to swelling and a fever the mumps can cause headaches and in rare cases swelling of the brain, but people can be contagious for up to 25 days before any of those symptoms even appear says South Zone Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vivien Suttorp.

“Before developing symptoms of swollen glands, headaches, feeling unwell, individuals may have already shared the wealth of this virus with others,” she said over the phone.

That means there’s a worry that this recent outbreak is simply just the first wave of more to come adds infectious disease expert Craig Jenne.

“Unfortunately these nine cases have likely spread it to other people without knowing they’ve even done it,” Jenne says.

AHS says the vaccination rate in Medicine Hat for the mumps virus is near 90 per cent, but Jenne notes the Tigers are a “perfect host” for the disease.

“No fault of their own — they don’t know they have it — but it’s a very mobile group of people that are now potentially spreading it to multiple cities.”

The Tigers have played 10 different teams since their game with Brandon on Jan. 28. The WHL has said they’re working with all the teams in the league and their medical staff to minimize the spread of the virus, but they have no plans to postpone any games like the one versus Medicine Hat and Calgary in Calgary Friday night.