Mumps

Mumps is a contagious viral infection that affects a child’s salivary glands, causing them to swell up. Although the availability of a vaccine , there are still incidents of mumps to be found. Read on to find out how it’s diagnosed and how it can be treated.

Mumps is a viral condition that is recognisable by the parotid (salivary) gland enlargement that affects those infected with the disease. The parotid glands are located at the side of the face under the ears and the painful swellings give a person with mumps a distinctive ‘hamster face’ appearance. Mumps used to be one of the most common childhood illnesses, but since the development of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, the disease has become much rarer. However, even if your child has been vaccinated against MMR, it’s still possible for them to catch this highly contagious virus because the vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective.

Symptoms of mumps

The characteristic swellings that indicate mumps can appear on one or both sides of the face, with one side sometimes puffing up several days before the other. The other symptoms include:

• Headache
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Pain with swallowing and talking
• Earache

It’s also possible for your child to have mumps without the jaw-line swelling. The condition may appear as a respiratory tract infection, in which case they would have the typical symptoms of a cold. In a very mild case, there may be no noticeable symptoms at all.

How is mumps spread?

A child with mumps is most contagious one to two days before and five days after the onset of their symptoms. The disease is spread via infected droplets of saliva that can be inhaled or picked up from surfaces and then passed into the mouth or nose. If your child hasn’t been immunised against mumps through the MMR vaccine, they can catch the disease by being around someone who has the illness or by touching something that has the virus on it, such as a toy or towel. Once infected by mumps, a person normally develops a life-long immunity to the disease.

Should I call my doctor if I suspect my child has mumps?

Absolutely  yes. If your child is showing signs of mumps, you should phone your doctor for an immediate appointment. Mumps can easily be confused with other infections and conditions, such as salivary gland obstruction, so your doctor will want to make a full examination and take blood samples to confirm the diagnosis.

Prevention is better than cure

You can protect your child against mumps by ensuring that they receive the MMR vaccine, which is a part of most countries’ national immunisation program. It’s usually administered at 12-15 months of age, with a booster dose given between 4 and 6 years. You can check with your doctor about your child’s immunisation schedule.

You may want to read more about the importance of boosting your child’s immunity with good nutrition.