HealthyCanada.com

Mumps is an acute viral illness that usually strikes in the colder months between November and March. It used to be very common until a vaccine became available in 1967. Since then the number of cases in Canada has dwindled to about 100 cases annually.

One in three people have no symptoms at all. For others mumps will often start with a high fever (103 degrees Fahrenheit or 39.4 degrees Celcius). This may be accompanied by headache and loss of appetite. Over a period of a few days the parotid glands become swollen making the cheeks appear as if something has been stuffed inside them. Sometimes one cheek will swell before the other. It will hurt when chewing or swallowing.

People who have mumps are most contagious from 2 days before symptoms begin to 6 days after they end. The virus can also spread from people who are infected but have no symptoms.

Although rare mumps can also cause:

• meningitis an infection of the fluid and lining covering the brain and spinal cord. About one in every 10 people with mumps gets meningitis. Fortunately this does not usually cause permanent damage.
  
  
• deafness in some cases.
  
  
• very painful swollen testicles in about one out of 4 teenage boys or adult men. This may rarely cause sterility.
  
  
• a painful infection of the ovaries in one out of 20 women. Mumps infection during the first three months of pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage.

Mumps is caused by a virus that infects the glands that produce saliva. The mumps virus is contagious and spreads in droplets from the mouth and nose of someone who is infected. It can be passed to others through sneezing and coughing. The virus can also spread to other people through direct contact such as picking up tissues or using drinking glasses that have been used by the infected person.

If you think that your child has mumps call your child's doctor. Only he or she can make an accurate diagnosis. If mumps is confirmed you can work together with the doctor to monitor your child's progress and spot any complications that may arise.

You should check your child's temperature and keep a record. Use only acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring down a fever and relieve pain in the swollen glands. Aspirin should not be used in children with viral illnesses because the use of aspirin in such cases has been associated with the development of Reye syndrome which can lead to liver failure and death.

Provide your child with a soft bland diet that does not require a lot of chewing and have him or her drink plenty of water but not juice as the acid can worsen parotid pain.

Children usually recover from mumps in about 10 to 12 days. Your doctor will let you know when they can return to school. He will also let your local public health unit know that your child has mumps as it is a reportable disease.

For more information read the Ontario Ministry of Health's MMR vaccine fact sheet.