Nova Scotia: Mumps ongoing but under control

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Source: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jR6BTCvpk8LXI3mICWVcECwpDunQ

Health protection officials say N.S. mumps outbreak ongoing, but under control

5 hours ago

HALIFAX ? Nova Scotia health protection officials say while the province's mumps outbreak isn't over, it is now under control.

Shelly Sarwal, a medical officer of health at the department, says there are currently 793 mumps cases in Nova Scotia. She says there are reports of about one or two cases a month, while at the height of last year's outbreak there were 40 to 50 new cases a week.

In his report, released in February, the province's auditor general was critical of the province's response to the outbreak saying there was poor planning and poor handling of vaccines.

But chief public health officer, Dr. Robert Strang says he believes the outbreak was handled extremely well and in a timely manner.

He told the legislature's public accounts committee that while he agrees with many of the auditor general's findings, steps had already been taken to address the problems because of earlier reviews.

 

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Re: Nova Scotia: Mumps ongoing but under control

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2008/04/23/mumps-committee.html


Health officials quizzed over mumps response
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 | 10:57 AM AT
CBC News

The province didn't act fast enough to immunize health-care workers during the height of the mumps outbreak last year, Nova Scotia's chief public health officer admits.

Dr. Robert Strang appeared before an all-party committee of the legislature Wednesday to respond to the auditor general's report on the outbreak of the highly contagious disease.

Nurses and other health workers were only offered vaccines 58 days into the mumps outbreak, but even that was of limited success, Strang said.

"Despite having a program, we still have only had roughly 40 per cent of health-care workers take advantage," he told the standing committee on public accounts.

In a report earlier this year, auditor general Jacques Lapointe called the province's response to the mumps outbreak in February 2007 "less than timely," and said there was no plan to immunize health workers or offer a toll-free line to inform the public.

The auditor general also said vaccines were not stored at the right temperature while they were being transported.

Though Strang said Wednesday the response could have been better, he said provincial health officials did a good job of handling the outbreak.

Officials say the mumps outbreak in Nova Scotia is not over, though it's under control. There are currently 793 cases, with one or two new cases reported a month.

At the height of the outbreak last year, there were up to 50 cases reported each week, officials say.