Mumps is a viral illness, a contagious one at that, at the time it was one of the most common childhood diseases, thankfully we have vaccination whose implementation has helped to decrease substantially, the occurrence and widespread of vaccination. Mumps infection typically has displayed symptoms of; fatigue, headache, parotitis, fever, and malaise followed by the classic hallmark of the disease. Mumps is caused by Rubulavirus, and it is a member of the paramyxoviridae family.
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Mumps is a worldwide endemic with epidemic outbreaks happening every five years in unvaccinated regions. Mumps virus is highly infectious and it is transmissible through direct contact with respiratory droplets, household fomites, and saliva. Some people who are infected with the disease often do not show symptoms, but they are contagious. When the mumps vaccine was introduced in the year 1967, it lead to a high level of reduced documented cases in the United stats by 2001.
There are cases where the symptoms of norms would appear 2-3 weeks after the infection, after the first early symptoms of headache, fever, etc. The next few days are occupied with classical symptoms of mumps that would develop, the main symptom is usually painful and swollen parotid glands, the swelling happens in waves, it is not a one-time thing and one of the three sets of salivary glands makes the cheeks puff out. Other associated symptoms include; a painful joint, a dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, experienced pain at the side of the face that is swollen and serious. It is only in very rare cases that adults have to deal with mumps, and in those cases, the experiences are usually similar.
Mumps can happen to a person who has been through full vaccination, but vaccinated patients are not known to present highly severe or complicated cases like unvaccinated people. Once a patient complains of parotitis or mumps complications, regardless of their age, travel history, or status of vaccination, mumps should be suspected. Mumps virus replicates in the upper respiratory tract and then gets transmitted from one person to another through direct contact with saliva or the respiratory droplets of a person who has been infected with mumps. The closer and longer there is contact with an infected person, the more there is a strong chance of spreading the virus.
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Mumps virus has been isolated for up to 14 days in semen and urine and from saliva as early as 7 days, even if the infection period is considered from 2-5 days after the onset of parotitis. Complications can happen from Mumps infection, possible complications are meningitis, oophoritis, orchitis, mastitis, pancreatitis, hearing loss, and encephalitis.
The complications may be really difficult to recognize and they have in most cases, been under-reported. When mumps occur in pregnant women, it is usually benign and it doesn't present a more severe case in women who are not pregnant, and just like other cases of infection, there is a risk that the infection of mumps during the first pregnancy phase would result in complications. There was a study reported in 1966 on an association between mumps infection and women who were in their first trimester of pregnancy, it created an increase in the rate of spontaneous abortion or intrauterine fetal death.
Vaccination has gladly helped to reduce the spread and the implication of this infection, and it remains the best way to prevent mumps and even its complications. RT-PCR and viral culture are used for the confirmation of mumps infection. Buccal swabs are mostly used for RT-PCR testing, but urine tests and CSF tests could also be used on some occasions. The vaccination status as well as the timing of the specimen collection are very important for the interpretation of laboratory results, bear in mind that, a negative result does not necessarily rule out the presence of mumps infection. Experts have warned that mumps remains a notifiable disease and every case has to be adequately reported to the local government or state department.
The Mumps vaccine is safe and highly effective, it is one of the most efficient ways to limit the chances of your child getting Mumps, children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, as it is often administered as a four-way vaccine, it could serve as protection for four diseases; mumps, measles, varicella, and rubella. Regardless of how widely spread the vaccination of mumps has gotten, outbreaks still occur, especially in regions where people have prolonged close contact like schools and correctional facilities. Experts are not very sure about why some people who have gotten vaccinated still get mumps, but this is what some evidence suggests;
That, mumps vaccine could produce antibodies that are not so effective against wild types of virus strains.
The immune system of some people may not respond as well as it should to vaccination.
Some people's antibodies gotten from mumps vaccination could decrease over time until it gets to the point where the individual is no longer protected from the vaccine.
Usually, Mumpus is a benign illness that self-resolves itself and treatment is supportive care for each symptom, intake of analgesic medications and cold or warm compress for parotid swelling is also very helpful, treatment is also highly dependent on the health status of patients.