Mumps

Mumps is an illness characterized by parotid swelling and usually accompanied by generalized symptoms. It is one of the most common causes of aseptic meningitis. It also causes encephalitis, orchitis and inflammation of pancreas and ovaries. Some mumps infections are subclinical or unrecognized and may require viral isolation and/or some other serological procedure.

Clinical characteristics: Mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by the mumps virus. Mumps typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite, and is followed by swelling of salivary glands. Anyone who is not immune from either previous mumps infection or from vaccination can get mumps.

Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

Diagnosis: Current methods for serological diagnosis of mumps infection are serum neutralization, hemagglutination-inhibition, immunofluorescence, complement fixation and ELISA tests.

Treatment: Currently, there is no specific treatment for mumps. Supportive care should be given as needed.