Four workers at Ki, the Bay Street sushi standby, come down with the mumps

Ki, best known as the go-to sushi joint for suits in the Financial District, became famous this weekend for something only slightly less unsettling than poorly prepared fugu: the mumps. Toronto Public Health warns that four employees at the Bay Street eatery had been diagnosed with mumps, which presents with symptoms like swelling and pain in the salivary glands, fever, headache, fatigue and a loss of appetite. Anyone who dined there between July 7 and July 18 is advised to watch for such symptoms. Despite this, the restaurant is expected to be open for business today.

From the Globe:

“The restaurant has been co-operative working with us, they were helpful, they provided a list of all their employees,” TPH’s associate medical officer Dr. Irene Armstrong said. “We have public health investigators calling every employee to advise on signs and symptoms, how it spreads, telling employees to contact them immediately if they develop symptoms. If they do, we tell them to stay home.”

Mumps hasn’t been a big issue in Canada since the development of a vaccine, but it remains a health threat in developing countries. The origin of this outbreak remains unclear. The four infected employees at Ki didn’t even know they had the mumps until they were asked to check for symptoms. With the long weekend coming up, we predict a spike in symptoms amongst cottage-owning Bay Streeters starting sometime around Thursday afternoon, with a swift recovery by Tuesday—it’s amazing what a weekend of tubing and barbecue will do for one’s health.

• Bay St. eatery to re-open after mumps warning [Globe and Mail]