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. Mumps is characterized by swollen, painful salivary glands in the face, causing the cheeks to puff out. 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 two to three 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:. See your doctor if you or your child has signs and symptoms of mumps. Mumps is highly contagious for about nine days after symptoms appear. Tell your doctor's office before you go in that you suspect mumps so arrangements can be made to avoid spreading the virus to others in the waiting room.
Mumps has become uncommon, so it's possible that another condition is causing your signs and symptoms. A: MMR vaccine prevents most, but not all, cases of mumps and complications caused by the disease. People who have received two doses of the MMR vaccine are about nine times less likely to get mumps than unvaccinated people who have the same exposure to mumps virus.
However, some people who receive two doses of MMR can still get mumps, especially if they have prolonged, close contact with someone who has the disease.
If a vaccinated person does get mumps, they will likely have less severe illness than an unvaccinated person. Before there was a vaccine, mumps was a common childhood disease in the United States.
In some cases, the disease caused complications, such as permanent deafness in children and, occasionally, swelling of the brain encephalitis , which in rare cases resulted in death. From year to year, the number of mumps cases can range from roughly a couple hundred to a couple thousand. In some years, there are more cases of mumps than usual because of large outbreaks.
See Mumps Cases and Outbreaks for more information. A: Mumps can be serious, but most people with mumps recover completely within two weeks. While infected with mumps, many people feel tired and achy, have a fever, and swollen salivary glands on the side of the face. Others may feel extremely ill and be unable to eat because of jaw pain, and a few will develop serious complications. Men and adolescent boys can develop pain or swelling in their testicles. Women and adolescent girls can develop pain or swelling in their ovaries.
The mumps might feel like a severe cold, but it can be more dangerous. Though serious complications are rare, they can happen.
Mumps infections can lead to:. If you have symptoms of mumps, your primary care provider can order tests, such as a blood test, nose swab, or throat swab, to confirm your diagnosis.
It will need to naturally run its course. Your physician will also monitor you for complications, such as meningitis. You can get mumps by entering a room that an infected person left up to 2 hours earlier. Outbreaks are most common in groups of people who spend a lot of time together and have physical contact. The vaccine is the only way to fully fend off the mumps. Vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine, are the most effective forms of protection from diseases like mumps.
Mumps can also be passed on by people who are infected with the virus but don't have any obvious symptoms. Let your GP know in advance of your surgery visit so any necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection can be taken. Mumps can usually be diagnosed from the symptoms, in particular the swelling of glands in the sides of your face parotid glands. If you have mumps, your GP can see and feel the swelling. By looking inside your mouth, they may be able to see that your tonsils have been pushed out of their usual position.
The HPU will arrange for a sample of your saliva to be tested to confirm or rule out the diagnosis. Read about treating mumps. There are currently no medications to treat the mumps virus. There are several problems that often occur with mumps. These can be worrying, but they're rarely serious and usually improve as the infection passes. Pain and swelling of the testicle orchitis affects one in four males who get mumps after puberty.
The swelling is usually sudden and affects only one testicle. The testicle may also feel warm and tender. In affected boys and men, swelling of the testicle normally begins four to eight days after the swelling of the parotid gland. Occasionally, swelling can occur up to six weeks after the swelling of the glands.
Any testicle pain can be eased using over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. If the pain is particularly severe, contact your GP, who may prescribe a stronger painkiller for you. Applying cold or warm compresses to your testicle and wearing supportive underwear may also reduce any pain. Just under half of all males who get mumps-related orchitis notice some shrinkage of their testicles and an estimated 1 in 10 men experience a drop in their sperm count the amount of healthy sperm their body can produce.
However, this is very rarely large enough to cause infertility. One in 20 females who get mumps after puberty experience swelling of the ovaries oophoritis , which can cause:.
The symptoms of oophoritis usually pass once the body has fought off the underlying mumps infection. Viral meningitis can occur if the mumps virus spreads into the outer protective layer of the brain the meninges. It occurs in about one in seven cases of mumps. Unlike bacterial meningitis, which is regarded as a potentially life-threatening medical emergency, viral meningitis causes milder, flu-like symptoms, and the risk of serious complications is low.
Sensitivity to light, neck stiffness and headaches are common symptoms of viral meningitis. These usually pass within 14 days. About 1 in 20 cases of mumps lead to short-term inflammation of the pancreas acute pancreatitis. The most common symptom is sudden pain in the centre of your belly.
Other symptoms of acute pancreatitis can include:.
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