MUMPS: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, Home Remedies

Mumps is an acute viral infection causing painful swelling of the salivary glands. Home treatment can alleviate discomfort and prevent further problems.

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What is MUMPS (Segede in Yoruba)?

Mumps is an acute viral infection causing painful swelling particular of the parotids and sometimes other glands. It is highly infectious and may cause minor epidemics. It is the commonest cause of parotid gland swelling.

Myth attached to mumps can cause deafness, meningitis, infertility

According to a belief, traditions and myths are creating an impact on the nation’s health care delivery system. For example, in Nigeria, they believe that childhood infections like mumps do not require good medical attention.

At healthsoothe, I write to correct such a wrong belief about mumps, that if mumps is not medically treated can cause (a large amount of damage or harm) and widespread destruction to the body later in life.

What Are The Main Sign and symptoms of mumps?

Many individuals may not experience the symptoms when they become infected with the mumps virus so they may not know they had the infection. Others develop symptoms such as;

Children are mainly affected.

An incubation period of about 21days is usually followed by;
Malaise.
Fever.
Swelling of parotids.
Both sides are usually affected.
The swelling is tense, painful and tender.
After the attack immunity is long-lasting.

The swollen between the lower jaw and the neck appear on the third day of the child contracting the infection, with no specific symptoms occurring earlier. The saliva gland swelling can last up to 10 days. Symptoms in children tend to be mild and worse in the adult.

Cause of mumps

Mumps is caused by the mumps virus. The virus passes on from person to person and can spread quickly among various people living around you or your neighborhood. In addition, the virus spread from one child to another, especially in a crowded environment like nursery schools, children care centers and primary schools.

Mumps virus spread rapidly during a respiratory tracts infection that split out when an individual his sneezing or coughing.

In addition, the virus is a single strand of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) harbor inside a two-layered envelope that provides the virus its characteristic immune person. Only one type of mump virus has been in existent together with the other virus types that can cause the common cold).

Complications of Mumps

Take note of this, untreated mump may cause infertility later in life, According to a doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos State, of Nigeria, said that the female ovaries might be affected, while it could affect the testes of a male child. Later in life, it can also cause secondary infertility in both opposite sexes.

Mumps can actually, because infertility if not medically treated. Mump orchitis can occur and this is a stage that it affects the testes. It may even cause encephalitis and ultimately affect the brain. The glands under the chin may also become enlarged, swollen and this may result in a slight fever.

Orchitis, which is another complicated condition and a painful one, can also cause sterility in life. Other serious complications may also occur when the mump virus attacks the brain and the nervous system, causing meningoencephalitis.

As a Parent What You Should Look out for in a Child With Mumps?

These include;

Headaches,
Reluctance to eat,
Difficult to swallow food or even talk,
Dryness of the mouth,
Swelling of the chin.

If the virus affects only one side of the chin, the other side of the chin might swell even as the other side goes down.

In an attempt to provide a relief solution for the child and minimize the pain which is felt at the swallowing chin, try and reduce child fruit juices, which will stimulate the salivary glands to produce saliva.

What is the incubation period of mumps?

There is a 14-18-day period between contracting the mumps virus and the onset of signs and symptoms. Viral shedding is short-lived and a patient should stay away from other individuals that may be harmed for the first five days following the onset of swelling of the salivary (parotid) glands.

Management of Mumps and Medical Treatments

In Nigeria, When I was a kid my mum help me to treat mump in those days with traditional home remedies. What she did to get rid of mumps is a dragonfly mold or termite’s hill, which is usually made of clay; she grinds it, and mixes it with warm water and applies on the affected area of my chin.
The main purpose of treatment (irrespective of any age type) is to provide health soothe for this self-limited disease. Giving analgesics drugs like (acetaminophen, ibuprofen) and applying warm or cold compress packs to the swollen and inflamed salivary gland area we do a lot of good and provide relief.

Antibiotics treatment should be commenced as soon as the sensitivity test is performed.
Supportive.
Bed rest
Maintenance and fluid balance.

Home Remedies For Mumps

This home remedies can alleviate discomfort and prevent further problems.

Chebulic myrobalan (Harad or haritaki) is well-known for the treatments of mumps. Make a thick paste from herb gently applied over the swelling to relieve pain and discomfort.
Peepal tree is another remedy to cure the disease. What you need is the leave, just covered with ghee and warmed over a fire. After, applied it with a bandage over the swelling area.
Another well-known herb you can use is Indian aloe (ghee kunwar or musabbar) is used to treat any swollen part of the body including mump. Just get the leaves peeled it and add little turmeric mixture to one side an applied it with a bandage to the affected part after warming.
You can also use asparagus (halon) seed to treat mumps. To make the seeds effective add The seeds of fenugreek (methi) and make a paste out of it. Applied to the inflamed part.
The use of dry ginger (saunth) is examined to be useful in the treatment of mumps. Ground the ginger to a paste an rub it on the inflamed site. It will dry the swelling and ease the pain.
Neem leaves are very effective against mumps. Ground the leaves together with Tumeric, and applied to the affected site. It will yield great results.