Mumps

Mumps are a viral disease of childhood

Mumps are a viral disease, generally not serious. This disease is highly contagious, it occurs in epidemics especially in early childhood. It is transmitted by saliva droplets.

The parotid glands are affected

The virus has a tropism glandular; that is to say, it is lodged in some glands preferably in particular parotid: they are salivary glands located in front of the ear lobes, it can also Affects the pancreas that is in the abdomen and testicles, it can also hurt, rarely, the nervous system...

The progress of the disease

The incubation period (from when the body is affected by the virus and the appearance of signs of illness) lasts about three weeks; the patient is contagious about 7 days before the onset of the disease and for another 7 days. The patient is contagious about 7 days before the appearance of the disease and for another 7 days.

It heals without complications in most cases. A person who caught mumps is protected all his life against this virus.

A pear-shaped face

The little patient has a fever and his face distorted by parotitis: Indeed, the parotid glands are affected with the virus and they are swollen: the patient has a pear-shaped face. It is often the only signs that appear.

It also happens that the disease goes completely unnoticed.

Puberty in boys, attention! Risk of infertility

Some children have never been in contact with mumps virus or vaccinated, they are not immune and can then contract the disease when they are teenagers or adults.

The danger of this disease is that a male pubescent child or an adult be affected: testicles may be affected and the risk of infertility exists.

No specific treatment

There is no treatment against mumps. It is useful to prescribe painkillers to fight against pain and antipyretics to fight against the fever.

Prevention is vaccination

It is strongly recommended to vaccinate young children against mumps at the age of 1 year, 9 months for those who go to crèche.

This vaccine is often associated with the vaccine against measles and against rubella. It is recommended to do a reminder from 3 years.

This is the best way to prevent disease and therefore eliminate the risk of affected of the testicles in pubescent boys