$Unique_ID{PAR00125}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Mumps}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Mumps Fever appetite Loss Headache Swelling salivary glands
acetaminophen vaccinated vaccination vaccinations ovary ovaries pancreas
abdominal pain testes contagious viruses virus infection viral infections
immunity meningitis encephalitis deafness orchitis parotid salivary glands
sterility salivary duct stone saliva ducts stones bacterial gland infection
spinal tap meningitis encephalitis blood tests mumps antibodies}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Mumps


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Fever
     - Loss of appetite
     - Headache
     - Swelling of the salivary glands

     HOME CARE
     - The child with mumps needs rest.  Give acetaminophen for pain and
       fever.
     - Do not give the child spicy foods.
     - Isolate the child from other family members.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Make sure that your child is vaccinated against mumps.
     - One attack of mumps almost always provides lifelong immunity.  Consult
       your doctor if a child who has already had mumps seems to have it
       again.  The problem is most likely some other disease of the salivary
       glands.
     - If mumps involves the ovaries or pancreas, the child will have
       abdominal pain.  If the testes are involved, they will be swollen and
       tender.
     - If a child who has not been vaccinated against mumps is exposed to the
       disease, he or she can receive the vaccine shortly after exposure to
       prevent becoming ill with mumps.


     Mumps is a moderately contagious infection caused by a specific virus
that especially affects the salivary glands.  It is contracted by contact with
the saliva of an infected person.  The incubation period (the time it takes
for symptoms to develop once the child has been exposed to the virus) for
mumps is 14 to 21 days.  The disease can be passed on any time from two or
more days before symptoms appear until all symptoms have gone.
     One attack almost always provides lifelong immunity.  If a child has had
mumps and similar symptoms subsequently develop, the problem is most likely
not mumps but some other disease of the salivary glands.
     Complications of mumps include meningitis, encephalitis, permanent
deafness, and orchitis (inflammation of the male sex glands called the
testes).  The disease may also involve the ovaries (female sex glands) or
cause an infection of the pancreas.
     A vaccine is available to prevent mumps.  It is usually given in
combination with the vaccines against measles and rubella (German measles) at
around 15 months of age.  This vaccine is 95 percent effective in preventing
mumps.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Typical symptoms include fever (101 degrees_F to 104 degrees_F), loss of
appetite, and headache.  One or two days after the onset of these symptoms,
one or more of the salivary glands become painfully swollen, the swelling
lasts about a week.
     The diagnosis of a typical case of mumps is obvious from the swelling of
one or both of the parotid salivary glands, which lie behind, below, and in
front of the earlobe.  Only a swelling of the parotid gland has the earlobe as
its center.  Other salivary glands, such as those that lie under the edge of
the jaw, may be swollen with or without swelling of the parotid glands.
Swelling may occur on one or both sides of the face.
     Accurately diagnosing mumps may be difficult if complications of mumps
develop before, or sometimes even without, swelling of the salivary glands.
If the pancreas or ovaries are involved, the child will have abdominal pain.
If the testes are involved, they will be swollen and tender.  The symptoms of
encephalitis include stiff neck, headache, and fever.  In the absence of
swelling of the salivary glands, these other symptoms may be difficult to link
with mumps.

HOME CARE

     Rest and isolation are recommended until all symptoms have gone.
Acetaminophen may be given to reduce pain and fever.  Avoid feeding the child
spicy foods.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Routine immunization against mumps is strongly advised.
  -  If a child who has not been vaccinated against mumps is exposed to the
     disease, he or she can receive the vaccine shortly after exposure to
     prevent becoming ill with mumps.
  -  If a mother is immune to mumps (because she has had it or has been
     vaccinated against it), her baby acquires some temporary immunity before
     birth.  This immunity lasts only until the infant is four to six months
     old.
  -  In an adult man, inflammation of the testes caused by mumps can result in
     sterility (the inability to father a child).  That is why it is important
     for males to be vaccinated against mumps in childhood.
  -  Consult your doctor if a child who has already had mumps seems to have it
     again.  The problem is most likely not mumps, but rather inflammation of
     a parotid salivary gland, a stone in the salivary duct, or a bacterial
     infection of the gland.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     If complications are suspected, your doctor may order a spinal tap to
test for meningitis or encephalitis or blood tests to measure the number of
mumps antibodies in the blood.  (Antibodies are protective substances that the
body produces to fight against disease.)  Doctors do not follow any specific
treatment for mumps, but may hospitalize a child to arrive at a diagnosis or
to provide supportive treatment.

RELATED TOPICS:  Encephalitis; Immunizations; Meningitis