Mumps vaccinations coming for P.E.I. students

In an effort to avoid another mumps outbreak, P.E.I. will hold immunization clinics in September and October to vaccinate all UPEI and Holland College students.

The vaccinations will be provided free of charge to students and staff born after 1970.

Lamont Sweet, deputy chief health officer, told CBC News Wednesday there's no way to know if mumps will hit university students as hard as it did in the spring, when more than 450 people around the Maritimes got sick.

"Our understanding is that there are still mumps in the Atlantic area," said Sweet.

"The vaccine contains a booster of measles as well, and there's been several cases of measles in other parts of Canada this year. So it's not just the mumps that we're concerned about. But it's completely unknown and can't be predicted when either of these illnesses may come to a particular area."

Sweet said there is no need for students to rush out and get the booster shot before classes begin in a few weeks.