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 number of cases has crept up in recent years. These outbreaks generally affect people who aren’t vaccinated and occur in close-contact settings such as schools or college campuses.

Complications of mumps, such as hearing loss, are potentially serious but rare. There’s no specific treatment for mumps (www.mayoclinic.org).

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 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 2-3 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:

• Pain in the swollen salivary glands on one or both sides of your face
• Pain while chewing or swallowing
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Weakness and fatigue
• Loss of appetite

 

 

 

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 child enters school. Those vaccines should be given when the child is:

• Between the ages of 12 and 15 months
• Between the ages of 4 and 6 years

College students, international travelers, and health care workers, in particular, are encouraged to make sure they’ve had two doses of the MMR vaccine. A single dose is not completely effective at preventing mumps.

The third dose of vaccine isn’t routinely recommended. But your doctor might recommend a third dose if you are in an area that is experiencing an outbreak.

 

 

 

Treatment

Because mumps is a virus, it doesn’t respond to antibiotics or other medications. However, you can treat the symptoms to make yourself more comfortable while you’re sick. These include:

• Rest when you feel weak or tired.
• Elderberries have antiviral properties and may help strengthen the immune system. Ask your health care provider before giving it to a child. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take elderberry. 
• Soothe swollen glands by applying ice packs.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration due to fever.
• Eat a soft diet of soup, yogurt, and other foods that aren’t hard to chew (chewing may be painful when your glands are swollen).
• Avoid acidic foods and beverages that may cause more pain in your salivary glands.
• Drinking peppermint has been shown to greatly improve digestion, reduce pain and inflammation. Peppermint has also been used as a natural internal cooling agent, making it a treasured remedy for reducing fevers in children and adults.

 

You can usually return to work or school about one week after a doctor diagnoses your mumps if you feel up to it. By this point, you’re no longer contagious. Mumps usually runs its course in a couple of weeks. Ten days into your illness, you should be feeling better.

 

 

 

 

Supportive Links:

“Mumps.” The Lancet 371.9616 (2008): 932-944.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673608604195

 “The increasing incidence of mumps orchitis: a comprehensive review.” BJU international 105.8 (2010): 1060-1065.

https://bjui-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2009.09148.x

“Mumps orchitis.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 99.11 (2006): 573-575.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/014107680609901116

 

Note: “Western Pharmaceutical” is defined as a system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery. Quote from National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov