In the last month alone there have been 13 new cases of the mumps in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
There have been 80 mumps cases in the region since February, which is alarming when you consider that there were 86 in all of 2016.
Medical Health Officer, Dr. Althea Hayden says mumps is hitting young adults particularly hard.
She adds that this issue isn’t strictly a provincial one.
Hayden says people born between 1970 and 1995 only got the single dose.
She adds that mumps can have serious consequences that lead to meningitis and deafness.
She says it is safe to get a second dose and those are free and available at public health units, from pharmacists, family doctors and at most walk-in clinics.
