What Is Mumps?
Mumps is a contagious illness caused by a virus that can result in
fever and swelling of the neck. During the prevaccine era, nearly
everyone in the United States experienced it, and 90 percent of cases
occurred among children under 15 years of age. Today, there are fewer
than a thousand cases each year in the United States.
The mumps cause is an infection with the mumps virus. This virus is an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus from the family Paramyxovirus of the genus Rubulavirus. The virus only infects humans, and it is found worldwide.
The mumps virus resides in the mucus in the nose and throat of the
infected person, along with the saliva. When that person sneezes or
coughs, droplets spray into the air. The infected mucus can land in
other people's noses or throats when they breathe or put their fingers
in their mouth, nose, or eyes after handling an infected surface.
When a person becomes infected with the mumps virus, it begins to
multiply within the nose, throat, and lymph glands in the neck. The
virus can also enter the blood and spread to other parts of the body.
After 16 to 18 days, on average, symptoms can appear. This period
between transmission and the start of symptoms is the "incubation period for mumps." In some cases, the incubation period can be as early as 12 days or as late as 25 days.
Contagious Period
A person with mumps is contagious anytime from about three days
prior to the onset of the swelling of the salivary glands (called
parotitis) to nine days after the onset. A person can spread the disease
if he or she becomes infected with the virus, even if symptoms never
develop.
Mumps symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Sore throat
- Chills
- Swelling of salivary glands (the parotid salivary glands, which are located within your cheek, near your jawline, and below your ears, are most frequently affected).
Treating Mumps: An Overview
There is currently no treatment for mumps that can kill the mumps virus. Because mumps is caused by a virus, antibiotics or other medications for mumps are not effective. Therefore, treatment focuses on providing relief from symptoms as the body fights the virus. This is called supportive care. Supportive care can include:- Medications (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen) to control fever or pain
- Warm, moist towels to help with swelling
- Fluids
- Rest until the fever improves
- Soft, bland diet.
After about one to two weeks, mumps symptoms should have faded. However, in some cases, complications of mumps can develop after the original symptoms have improved.
If you become very ill due to the mumps or from complications
associated with it, you should seek medical attention as soon as
possible. In addition, it's a good idea to call the doctor in advance so
that you don't have to sit in the waiting room for a long time and
possibly infect other patients.
Most people recover from mumps without any long-term problems. In
rare cases, long-term problems, including deafness, can result.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for mumps that can prevent related
complications.
Mumps Prevention Through the Mumps Vaccine
Mumps prevention begins with the mumps vaccine. The vaccine contains live, attenuated (weakened) mumps virus. In the United States, the vaccine is licensed and available as a single preparation (Mumpsvax®) or combined with both live attenuated measles and rubella vaccine (MMR vaccine, also known as measles, mumps, rubella vaccine). Typically, mumps vaccine in the United States is administered as the MMR vaccine
source:http://mumps.emedtv.com/mumps
http://www.free-health-care.com/throat_problems/mumps.htm
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