Treatment FAQ

what mumps is how it is spread and suggested treatment

by Ervin Vandervort Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

How is the mumps spread?

Transmission. The mumps virus replicates in the upper respiratory tract and is transmitted person to person through direct contact with saliva or respiratory droplets of a person infected with mumps. The risk of spreading the virus increases the longer and the closer the contact a person has with someone who has mumps.

What are mumps?

Mumps is a viral infection that primarily affects saliva-producing (salivary) glands that are located near your ears. Mumps can cause swelling in one or both of these glands. Mumps was common in the United States until mumps vaccination became routine.

What is the best treatment for mumps?

How is mumps treated?Drink plenty of fluids.If the glands are swollen and causing discomfort, ice or heat packs can help ease the pain.Non-aspirin medications such acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be used to bring a fever under control and help with pain from swollen glands.

Is mumps easily spread?

Mumps is an illness caused by a virus. It usually happens in childhood. Mumps are easily spread by airborne droplets from the upper respiratory tract.

Why is it called mumps?

The word "mumps" is first attested circa 1600 and is the plural form of "mump", meaning "grimace", originally a verb meaning "to whine or mutter like a beggar".

What type of virus is mumps?

Mumps is caused by the mumps virus, which belongs to a family of viruses known as paramyxoviruses. These viruses are a common source of infection, particularly in children.

How can we prevent the spread of mumps?

If you have mumps, you can help prevent it spreading by:regularly washing your hands with soap.using and disposing of tissues when you sneeze.avoiding school or work for at least 5 days after your symptoms first develop.

How mumps can be prevented?

Mumps can be prevented with MMR vaccine. This protects against three diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella. CDC recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

Where is mumps found?

Then most people will have swelling of their salivary glands (often referred to as parotitis when the parotid gland, located in front and below the ear, swells). This is what causes the puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw. Even though the vaccine has drastically reduced mumps cases, outbreaks still occur.

What causes mumps in child?

What causes mumps in a child? Mumps is spread by contact with fluids from the mouth, nose, and throat when an infected child coughs, sneezes, or talks. The virus can also live on surfaces like doorknobs, eating utensils, and drinking cups.

Can mumps cause death?

In some cases, the disease caused complications, such as permanent deafness in children and, occasionally, swelling of the brain (encephalitis), which in rare cases resulted in death. From year to year, the number of mumps cases can range from roughly a couple hundred to a couple thousand.

Overview

  • Mumps is a viral infection that primarily affects saliva-producing (salivary) glands that are located near your ears. Mumps can cause swelling in one or both of these glands.Mumps was common in the United States until mumps vaccination became routine. Since then, the number of cases has dropped dramatically.However, mumps outbreaks still occur in the United States, and the numbe…
See more on mayoclinic.org

Treatment

  • You should see a doctor if you are not sure whether your symptoms are due to mumps. There is no specific treatment for mumps, but your doctor may want to rule out other causes of the symptoms that may require treatment.
See more on verywellhealth.com
  • Mumps is caused by a virus, and we can't cure viral diseases. Fortunately our immune system can deal with mumps, so the treatment for mumps is to wait for it to go away. Eating soft foods and avoiding acidic foods such as orange juice can help cope with the symptoms.You can fight fever, headache, and muscle pains with acetaminophen* or ibuprofen. Never give acetylsalicylic acid (…
See more on medbroadcast.com
  • There is no specific treatment for mumps. The following things can be done to relieve symptoms: 1. Apply ice or heat packs to the neck area. 2. Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve pain. DO NOT give aspirin to children with a viral illness because of the risk for Reye syndrome. 3. Drink extra fluid. 4. Eat soft foods. 5. Gargle with warm salt water.
See more on ufhealth.org

Signs And Symptoms

  • Some people infected with the mumps virus have either no signs or symptoms or very mild ones. When signs and symptoms do develop, they usually appear about two to three weeks after exposure to the virus.The primary sign of mumps is swollen salivary glands that cause the cheeks to puff out. Other signs and symptoms may include: 1. Pain in the swollen salivary glands on on…
See more on mayoclinic.org
  • Measles starts as a fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), and a red, pinpoint rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. If the virus infects the lungs, it can cause pneumonia. Measles in older children can lead to inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, which can cause seizures and brain damage. The mumps virus usually causes swelling in gland…
See more on webmd.com
  • Pancreatic inflammation is rare but can result in pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, and vomiting. It is only a temporary condition. There may also be inflammation in other organs such as the heart.
See more on verywellhealth.com
  • Symptoms of mumps may include: 1. Face pain 2. Fever 3. Headache 4. Sore throat 5. Loss of appetite 6. Swelling of the parotid glands (the largest salivary glands, located between the ear and the jaw) 7. Swelling of the temples or jaw (temporomandibular area) Other symptoms that can occur in males are: 1. Testicle lump 2. Testicle pain 3. Scrotal swelling...
See more on ufhealth.org

Prevention

  • The best way to prevent mumps is to be vaccinated against the disease. Most people have immunity to mumps once they're fully vaccinated.The mumps vaccine is usually given as a combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) inoculation, which contains the safest and most effective form of each vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are recommended before a chil…
See more on mayoclinic.org
  • The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for all children. It protects against three potentially serious illnesses. It is a two-part vaccination, and in most states, you must prove your children have gotten it before they can enter school. If you are an adult who has not had the vaccination or the diseases, you may need the MMR shot, too. MMR is a two-shot se…
See more on webmd.com
  • Hearing loss is a rare complication of mumps, occurring in less than 1 percent of cases. It usually is seen in just one ear and hearing returns. However, the hearing loss can be permanent and mumps is the most frequent cause of one-sided sensorineural deafness in children. It is wise to have your child's hearing tested six to 12 months after a case of mumps. The options for perma…
See more on verywellhealth.com
  • Before departure from the United States, travelers aged ≥12 months who do not have acceptable evidence of mumps immunity (as documented by 2 doses of a mumps virus–containing vaccine, laboratory evidence of immunity, laboratory confirmation of disease, or birth before 1957) should be vaccinated with 2 doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine ≥28 days apart (or 1 dos…
See more on wwwnc.cdc.gov

Causes

  • Mumps is caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person through infected saliva. If you're not immune, you can contract mumps by breathing in saliva droplets from an infected person who has just sneezed or coughed. You can also contract mumps from sharing utensils or cups with someone who has mumps.
See more on mayoclinic.org
  • Mumps is easily spread through contact with infected saliva, sneezing, or coughing. The usual incubation period (the time between exposure to an infection and the first appearance of symptoms) for mumps is between 16 and 18 days although this period may vary between 12 and 25 days. You are also contagious from two days before symptoms begin until six days after you …
See more on verywellhealth.com
  • Mumps is caused by an organism called a paramyxovirus. It's transmitted via the mouth by tiny drops of saliva from talking, sneezing, sharing drinks, kissing, or coughing. The virus can land on an object that others then handle. Once it's on your hand, there's a good chance it will find its way into your mouth, especially if you're a young child.Mumps is contagious for about a week before …
See more on medbroadcast.com
  • Mumps is caused by a virus. The virus spreads from person to person by drops of moisture from the nose and mouth, such as through sneezing. It is also spread through direct contact with items that have infected saliva on them.Mumps most often occurs in children ages 2 through 12 who have not been vaccinated against the disease. However, the infection can occur at any age and …
See more on ufhealth.org

Diagnosis

  • Call your doctor to see if an appointment is warranted if you have these signs that the illness is developing one of the serious complications:
See more on verywellhealth.com
  • The blood test to detect mumps is fairly complex and time-consuming. Although any family doctor can recognize most cases of mumps by physical examination, blood testing is done for public health reasons, especially since there are some other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to mumps.
See more on medbroadcast.com
  • Usually clinically defined as acute parotitis or other salivary gland swelling lasting ≥2 days or orchitis or oophoritis, without other apparent cause. Laboratory confirmation of mumps involves detecting mumps virus by real-time RT-PCR or virus isolation by culture. Laboratory confirmation of mumps can be challenging; therefore, mumps cases should not be ruled out by negative labor…
See more on wwwnc.cdc.gov

Complications

  • Complications of mumps are rare, but some are potentially serious.Most mumps complications involve inflammation and swelling in some part of the body, such as: 1. Testicles. This condition, known as orchitis, causes one or both testicles to swell in males who've reached puberty. Orchitis is painful, but it rarely leads to the inability to father a child (sterility). 2. Brain. Viral infections su…
See more on mayoclinic.org
  • A list of potential complications from mumps infection is cited below: 1. Aseptic meningitis/encephalitis 2. Sensorineural hearing loss/deafness 3. Transverse myelitis 4. Polyneuritis 5. Guillain-Barré syndrome 6. Cerebellar ataxia (with encephalitis) 7. Keratouveitis 8. Thyroiditis 9. Myocarditis 10. Mastitis 11. Pneumonia 12. Pancreatitis 13. Nephritis...
See more on reference.medscape.com
  • Up to one-third of people infected feel no symptoms. Others have a low-grade fever, headache, weakness, fatigue, and loss of appetite starting 14 to 24 days after they are actually infected. About a day after the onset of fever, the parotid gland near the ear begins to swell and ache – this makes chewing and swallowing painful. The body's temperature rises to 39.5°C to 40°C (103°F t…
See more on medbroadcast.com

Transmission

  • By respiratory droplets, saliva, or contact with contaminated fomites; requires close contact for spread. Transmission is most likely to occur 2 days before through 5 days after parotitis onset.
See more on wwwnc.cdc.gov

Case Definition

  • The following case definition for mumps was updated and approved by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists in 2011.
See more on cdc.gov
  • Mumps is a contagious disease that leads to painful swelling of the salivary glands. The salivary glands produce saliva, a liquid that moistens food and helps you chew and swallow.
See more on ufhealth.org

Vaccination

  • The monovalent live, attenuated mumps vaccine was licensed in the United States in December 1967, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that its use be considered for children nearing puberty, for adolescents, and for adults. At this time, the public health community considered mumps vaccination a low priority; as such, the ACIP believed that …
See more on reference.medscape.com
  • Live attenuated mumps virus vaccine is incorporated into combined MMR vaccine. Monovalent mumps vaccine is no longer available in the United States. For prevention of mumps, 2 doses of MMR vaccine are recommended routinely for children with the first dose at 12–15 months of age and the second dose at 4–6 years of age (school entry). [39,50]Two doses of MMR vaccine are …
See more on cdc.gov

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9