From the Guidelines
Mumps is a viral illness characterized by clinical features including parotid gland swelling, fever, headache, and malaise.
Clinical Features
- Parotid gland swelling
- Fever
- Headache
- Malaise Investigations typically involve serologic testing for mumps IgM antibodies and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for viral detection 1.
Investigations
- Serologic testing for mumps IgM antibodies
- Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for viral detection Management is primarily supportive, with treatment focusing on symptom relief using medications such as acetaminophen (15-20 mg/kg/dose every 4-6 hours) or ibuprofen (10 mg/kg/dose every 6-8 hours) for pain and fever reduction, with a typical duration of 5-7 days 1.
Management
- Supportive care
- Symptom relief using medications such as:
- Acetaminophen (15-20 mg/kg/dose every 4-6 hours)
- Ibuprofen (10 mg/kg/dose every 6-8 hours) In cases of complications, such as orchitis or meningitis, hospitalization and intravenous hydration may be necessary, with corticosteroids like prednisone (1-2 mg/kg/day) considered for severe inflammation 1.
Complications
- Orchitis
- Meningitis
- Hospitalization and intravenous hydration
- Corticosteroids like prednisone (1-2 mg/kg/day) for severe inflammation It is essential to note that immunization is the cornerstone of managing measles and mumps outbreaks, and all suspected cases should be reported immediately, with every effort made for laboratory confirmation of the infection either through serologic testing or detection of virus from clinical specimens 1.
Prevention
- Immunization
- Reporting suspected cases
- Laboratory confirmation of infection
From the Research
Clinical Features of Mumps
- Mumps is a systemic viral illness characterized by unilateral or bilateral swelling of the parotid glands 2, 3
- The disease can cause painful inflammatory symptoms, such as parotitis and orchitis 4
- Common complications of mumps include aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, orchitis, oophoritis, deafness, and pancreatitis 2, 3, 4
- Persons with mumps are infectious from 2 days before through 5 days after parotitis onset, and transmission is through respiratory droplets 5
Investigations for Mumps
- Clinical diagnosis can be based on the classic parotid swelling, but this feature is not present in all cases of mumps and can also occur in various other disorders 3
- Laboratory diagnosis is based on isolation of virus, detection of viral nucleic acid, or serological confirmation (generally presence of IgM mumps antibodies) 3, 6
- A real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay can be used for rapid mumps diagnosis in a clinical setting, which is specific, sensitive, and accurate 6
Management of Mumps
- Mumps is vaccine-preventable, and one dose of mumps vaccine is about 80% effective against the disease 3
- Routine vaccination has proven highly effective in reducing the incidence of mumps, and is presently used by most developed countries 3, 5
- Traditional public health measures, including the isolation of infectious persons, timely contact tracing, and effective communication and awareness education for the public and medical community, should remain key interventions for outbreak control 5
- The decision to implement a third dose of the MMR vaccine in response to an outbreak should be considered in discussions with local public health agencies 5