Children with Mumps

Mumps, which you will often hear referred to as "the mumps," is an infectious disease caused by a virus known as the paramoxyvirus. The disease is most often characterized by a swelling of salivary glands in the neck. Therefore, children who have the mumps often feature swollen cheeks and necks. In fact, people who have the mumps are often said to look like chipmunks with stuffed cheeks.

 
Prior to 1967, the mumps was considered a common childhood disease. When medical science developed a vaccine to prevent mumps, however, the number of people infected with mumps in the United States dropped from almost 200,000 cases to fewer than 2,000 cases per year.

Causes of the Mumps

Although the mumps virus is usually spread through saliva, it may be spread through other bodily fluids, such as mucus or urine. Breathing in saliva droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze is a common way to contract the disease. Sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses with an infected person also contributes to the spread of mumps.
 
A child or adult with mumps can be infectious up to six days prior to the appearance of symptoms. Once infected, a person can be contagious for up to 14 days.

Mumps Symptoms

Although the swelling of the neck glands is the most obvious symptom of the mumps, about one-third of people who contract the disease show no symptoms at all. People who are asymptomatic, however, are just as likely to transmit the disease as those with outward symptoms.

Besides painfully swollen salivary glands in the neck, the following mumps symptoms often indicate the onset of the disease:
  • fever up to 103° F
  • headache
  • loss of appetite
  • pain from acidic beverages, such as orange juice
  • pain when swallowing, talking or chewing
  • tenderness and swelling of one or both testicles in adolescent and adult males
  • weakness and fatigue.
Note that many of these symptoms can be indications of other conditions, such as tonsillitis or a blocked salivary gland. Therefore, it is important to see your child's pediatrician so that a proper diagnosis can be made.

Mumps Complications

While mumps complications are usually rare, they can be serious. If symptoms include any of the following, contact your doctor immediately or take your child to the emergency room:
  • convulsions or seizures
  • extreme drowsiness
  • severe headache
  • shaking and chills
  • stiff neck.

Complications of mumps include:

  • Encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, is a rare complication of the mumps.
  • Hearing loss in one or both ears occurs in rare cases.
  • Meningitis, an inflammation of membranes or fluids surrounding the spinal cord and the brain, can occur if the infection spreads to the central nervous system through the blood.
  • Orchitis is the inflammation of one or both testicles. It can lead to sterility in rare cases.
  • Ovarian pain in girls or women who are infected may be a symptom. Ovarian pain, however, will not affect fertility.
  • Pancreatitis, or the swelling of the pancreas, causes pain in the upper abdomen and may be accompanied by vomiting or nausea.

Treatment for Mumps

Mumps can't be treated with antibiotics, as it's caused by a virus. The infection will run its course, usually in about two weeks.

The usual treatment for mumps is to relieve pain and discomfort associated with its symptoms. Here are a few suggestions for treating a case of the mumps at home:

  • Apply warm or cold compresses to the swollen salivary glands in the neck.
  • Make sure your child gets plenty of fluids. Avoid acidic drinks such as lemonade or fruit juices.
  • Provide soft, easy-to-swallow foods such as apple sauce, soup, mashed potatoes, ice cream or oatmeal.
  • Use non-aspirin medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to reduce the fever and relieve pain. Don't use aspirin with children, due to the risk of Reye's syndrome, a brain disease characterized by fever, nausea and possible coma.
Your child need not be bedridden when he has the mumps. Quiet activities such as watching videos are appropriate. However, be sure to isolate your child from others while he's infectious. Clearly, you should keep a child home from school until the infection has passed.

Mumps Vaccination

Since the mumps vaccine became available in 1967, the spread of the disease has decreased significantly. The vaccine is usually given as the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunization to children who are between 12 months and 15 months old. A booster is given between ages 4 and 6.

Once vaccinated, the child is immune for life, just as if he had contracted the disease itself. The mumps vaccination does not cause mumps. However, some people will develop a fever or rash as a result of the vaccine.

Resources

Dowshen, Steven (2006). Mumps. Retrieved Sept. 6, 2007, from the Kids Health Web site: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/
mumps.html.
 
Mayo Clinic Staff (2006). Mumps. Retrieved Sept. 6, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mumps/DS00125.