Mumps has emerged as one of the most commonly-occurring diseases among children. The UK offers a very effective vaccine, called the MMR to immunise against mumps. Also, MMR provides immunity against other childhood diseases like measles and rubella.
Understanding Mumps:
Mumps can be understood as a viral infection of the salivary glands, i.e. saliva-producing glands. To be precise, it is caused due infection of the parotid glands that are located around the jaw bone. The causative virus is the Paramyxovirus and the infection tends to spread through saliva, when an individual sneezes or coughs.
Symptoms of Mumps:
Typical symptoms of mumps develop around 14 – 24 days after being exposed to the mumps virus. The usual symptoms include fever and shivering of the body. This is often accompanied by headaches, pain in the abdomen and earache. Since, mumps is essentially an infection of the salivary glands, these glands tend to get swollen and make it difficult to fully open the mouth. In severe cases, the patient might not be able to eat or even drink properly. Due to the swelling, the infected individual develops a characteristic ‘puffed-up cheek’ appearance. This is perhaps the most defining symptom of having mumps. However, what makes it is difficult to detect the illness at an early stage. About one-third of infected children tend to show little or no symptoms during the initial phase of the disease.
Complications Associated with Mumps:
Usually, the symptoms related to mumps tend to fade away with adequate rest and basic medications. However, if precautionary measures aren’t taken, there is a risk of developing some major complications. The most dreaded complication is in the form of meningitis. Until 1988, mumps was the single-biggest cause of viral meningitis in children. It was then that the breakthrough MMR vaccine was launched.
A rare complication of mumps could lead to inflammation in the pancreas. Females are known to develop inflammation in their reproductive organs, i.e. the ovaries, which is referred to as oophoritis. Similarly, males could develop inflammation in the testicles, which is called orchitis and this can cause infertility. Mumps has been known to cause permanent ear damage in the form of deafness.
Treatment of Mumps:
There are no specific medications for curing mumps. The diagnosis and the choice of prescribed medication is dependent on the kind of symptoms.
Prevention of Mumps:
The most effective and easily-available form of aid is the MMR vaccine. The MMR vaccine is being distributed since 1988 and is a part of the national immunisation programme. As a part of this nationwide initiative, the vaccine is administered at the age of 12 to 15 months and again, when the child is four years old.
Recently, many cases of mumps have been reported among the younger adults, i.e. in the age group of 19 to 23. Most of them are individuals who were not born around the time when MMR had become an accepted norm. The numbers of those infected with mumps has in fact increased in certain parts of the UK, like in Wales and England. The Health Protection Agency reports that here, the numbers have risen to 16,436 in 2004 as compared to just 4,204 in 2003.
The Department of Health has notified the GPs about the threat posed by mumps to younger adults. The Department has further recommended that people should be immunised against mumps, irrespective of their age group. The vaccination is now being offered in a way that its effectiveness is not restricted by age limits. Thus, two doses of the vaccine can be given across a three-month interval even to those outside the conventional age group.
© Insider Health
Understanding Mumps:
Mumps can be understood as a viral infection of the salivary glands, i.e. saliva-producing glands. To be precise, it is caused due infection of the parotid glands that are located around the jaw bone. The causative virus is the Paramyxovirus and the infection tends to spread through saliva, when an individual sneezes or coughs.
Symptoms of Mumps:
Typical symptoms of mumps develop around 14 – 24 days after being exposed to the mumps virus. The usual symptoms include fever and shivering of the body. This is often accompanied by headaches, pain in the abdomen and earache. Since, mumps is essentially an infection of the salivary glands, these glands tend to get swollen and make it difficult to fully open the mouth. In severe cases, the patient might not be able to eat or even drink properly. Due to the swelling, the infected individual develops a characteristic ‘puffed-up cheek’ appearance. This is perhaps the most defining symptom of having mumps. However, what makes it is difficult to detect the illness at an early stage. About one-third of infected children tend to show little or no symptoms during the initial phase of the disease.
Complications Associated with Mumps:
Usually, the symptoms related to mumps tend to fade away with adequate rest and basic medications. However, if precautionary measures aren’t taken, there is a risk of developing some major complications. The most dreaded complication is in the form of meningitis. Until 1988, mumps was the single-biggest cause of viral meningitis in children. It was then that the breakthrough MMR vaccine was launched.
A rare complication of mumps could lead to inflammation in the pancreas. Females are known to develop inflammation in their reproductive organs, i.e. the ovaries, which is referred to as oophoritis. Similarly, males could develop inflammation in the testicles, which is called orchitis and this can cause infertility. Mumps has been known to cause permanent ear damage in the form of deafness.
Treatment of Mumps:
There are no specific medications for curing mumps. The diagnosis and the choice of prescribed medication is dependent on the kind of symptoms.
Prevention of Mumps:
The most effective and easily-available form of aid is the MMR vaccine. The MMR vaccine is being distributed since 1988 and is a part of the national immunisation programme. As a part of this nationwide initiative, the vaccine is administered at the age of 12 to 15 months and again, when the child is four years old.
Recently, many cases of mumps have been reported among the younger adults, i.e. in the age group of 19 to 23. Most of them are individuals who were not born around the time when MMR had become an accepted norm. The numbers of those infected with mumps has in fact increased in certain parts of the UK, like in Wales and England. The Health Protection Agency reports that here, the numbers have risen to 16,436 in 2004 as compared to just 4,204 in 2003.
The Department of Health has notified the GPs about the threat posed by mumps to younger adults. The Department has further recommended that people should be immunised against mumps, irrespective of their age group. The vaccination is now being offered in a way that its effectiveness is not restricted by age limits. Thus, two doses of the vaccine can be given across a three-month interval even to those outside the conventional age group.
© Insider Health
