If you have lumps on your face, you may have mumps…
Name
Mumps
Transmission
- A contagious infection caused by a virus
- People can contract the virus when exposed to saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person (when they sneeze, cough, talk, etc.)
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It may also spread via direct contact when an infected person touches surfaces without washing their hands and someone else touches the same surface and rubs their eyes, mouth, or nose
Geography
Worldwide
Incubation Period
2 – 3 weeks after infection
Signs and Symptoms
Some people have very mild or no symptoms and do not know they have the disease. Commons symptoms include:
- Swollen and tender salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle aches
Diagnosis
Laboratory testing of oral and blood samples
Treatment
- There is no cure
- Supportive treatment is usually given (rest, fluids, fever reduction)
- There is a vaccine to help prevent infection (measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine) and it is 78% effective with one dose and 88% effective with two doses
Prognosis
- Most people recover completely in a few weeks, but mumps can cause serious complications, especially in adults:
- deafness
- brain swelling (encephalitis)
- meningitis
- inflammation of the testicles which can lead to sterility/infertility in men
- inflammation of the breasts and/or ovaries in females who have reached puberty (fertility is rarely affected)
Prevention: What Can You Do?
- Get the MMR vaccine and make sure your family is properly vaccinated
- Even though the vaccine is not 100% effective in preventing you from getting sick, it ensures that if you do contract the virus, your symptoms are milder and less severe than someone who never got the vaccine
- Wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough, and cover your nose when you sneeze
Mumps In the News
- Harvard mumps outbreak grows; dozens infected
- Outbreak strikes seven in Belgrade Public Schools
- University of San Diego Outbreak Widens
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/mumps/
http://www.who.int/topics/mumps/en/
