Mumps/swollen glands-prevention is better

Where my ancestors came from, when a child got mumps, they would be advised or led to a certain tree and urged to sing certain songs and dance around the tree to cast away the mumps. After which the child will be required to walk back to their home without looking back. It was believed that if you looked back, you would get another bout of the infection. Surprisingly, after this exercise, patients would be healed of the mumps. What exactly healed them may well be a story for another day.

Today, though on the decline according to studies carried out by World Health Organization (WHO), mumps still affects children, mostly those who are 15 years and younger.

Mumps is a contagious viral infection characterized by the swelling of the parotid glands (largest of the salivary glands) that are located just below and in front of the ear and at times in the salivary glands under the jaw.

Who can get mumps?
Anyone is at risk. Mumps infections know no age or gender especially if you have not been immunized. Symptoms are very mild and it may take a while before one knows they are sick, which is unfortunate as the disease is highly contagious.

However, the prevalence is more in infants and teenagers. Mumps spread with ease in places like schools and camps among other places where children interact. The virus resides in the mucus in the nose and throat, and when the infected person sneezes or coughs, droplets spread into the air and find refuge in anyone or surfaces nearby. When a child catches the mumps virus, it multiplies fast in the nose, throat and lymph glands in the neck. There are situations where the virus can also enter your child’s blood to spread to other parts of his body. After 15 days, on average, mumps symptoms begin to appear.

Signs that your child has mumps
o Soreness or swelling of the parotid glands either on one or both sides of your child’s ears. This swelling may be tender to the touch and painful.
o Your child may feel pain when opening the mouth or swallowing saliva, food or drinks.
o Fever that may last about two to three days.
o Loss of appetite.
o Your child may also experience headaches.
o If your child is an adolescent, he may notice a swelling in one or both of his testes.
o Will be affected by bright light.
o Have a stiff neck.
o Experience lower abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
o Mumps infections in the testis, are suspected to impair fertility. But there is no conclusive evidence to support this.
o Orchitis makes testis tender and painful for about two to four days and may result in shrinking of the affected testis to a smaller than normal size. In extremely rare cases, orchitis can lead to sterility. However, the research demonstrated that both the incidence and level of serum anti-sperm antibodies among mumps patients in their adolescent or adult ages were low. This can lead to subfertility, olgospermia, azoospermia and asthenospermia (defects in sperm movement), diminish sperm count and morphology.

Some children may not exhibit these symptoms. Instead they may develop upper respiratory symptoms similar to those of the common cold, which is why it is important to see a doctor anytime your child is uncomfortable.

Treatment and prevention of mumps

The wisest thing would be to avoid the occurrence of mumps altogether and keep away the hassles that come with it, because there is no known cure. The best way to do this is to have your children immunized. The vaccine, known as MMR, comes as a three-in-one package covering mumps, measles and rubella. The required doses of this combination at the right time would guard against infection. Timing is important, with 12-15 months being most appropriate for the first dose.

Treatment: Other than supportive care that makes it that much better for the sick one, your healthcare provider focuses on providing relief from symptoms and allows the body to fight the virus.

It is also advisable that you exercise high standards of hygiene in your home to ensure infections are prevented. Keep door knobs, phones and other surfaces clean, wash your rooms, floors, windows and dust your furniture. Also wash your children’s toys often and ensure their clothes are disinfected, possibly after every wash.

Some of the complications associated with mumps may include:
o Meningitis
o Profound deafness either ears or both
o Pancreatitis, neuritis, arthritis, thyroiditis
o Upper abdominal pains that may be related to the pancrease
o Mumps at pregnancy may increase chances of spontaneous abortions

Mumps and male fertility

Research by the journal of the Royal Society of Medicine shows a casual and unclear link between mumps and infertility in men. Although mumps orchitis – the swelling of testicles due to mumps infection – are suspected to impair fertility, there has been no conclusive evidence to support this.

Orchitis makes testis tender and painful for about two to four days and may result in shrinking of the affected testis to a smaller than normal size. In extremely rare cases, orchitis can lead to sterility, however, the research demonstrated that both the incidence and level of serum anti-sperm antibodies among mumps patience in their adolescent or adult ages were low. This can lead to subfertility, olgospermia, azoospermia and asthenospermia (defects in sperm movement), diminish sperm count and morphology.

END: BL37/32-33