Treat mumps before complications set in

Mumps is an infection that anyone can be a victim of. However, it is more common among children of school age, probably because of overcrowding or the unguarded mingling that makes it easy to transmit the viral infection from an infected child to the uninfected.

Mumps is usually benign at the initial stage of infection. Indeed, if parents aren’t observant enough, they may not notice that their child is ill with a terrible infection.

And because a child who is infected with mumps may still be up and running around the house, many parents may treat this life-threatening infection with levity!

Yet, physicians are warning that mumps is a deadly infection that should be seen by the physician immediately a parent suspects that the child has it.

A paediatrician, Dr. Laolu Falade, says the symptoms of mumps usually develop two to three weeks after a child has been infected, hence the need for speedy hospital visit by the time the symptoms begin to manifest.

He explains, “The period it takes for the symptoms to manifest is called the incubation period. In other words, the fact that your child hasn’t come down with visible sickness doesn’t mean that everything is okay.

“The only thing is that you are not aware that your child is ill. And that’s why, once the illness begins to manifest by way of its ubiquitous symptoms, act immediately.”

According to Falade, symptoms of mumps include swollen, painful salivary glands on one or both sides of the face, fever, headache, muscle aches, weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite, and pain while chewing or swallowing.

Describing how deadly the virus is, General Practitioner, Dr. Soga Onibiyo, says the virus that causes mumps can be air-borne through coughs and sneezes.

“It may be on the surfaces that people touch, such as door handles, computer keyboards, water taps; or it can be picked up from cups, cutlery, bowls or plates. Just about anywhere you have human activities,” Onibiyo warns.

Falade says the way mumps spreads effortlessly is one reason why schools must educate parents on the need to make an infected child stay away from school while he or she is accessing medical treatment.

He warns that if an infected child is allowed to stay in school, everyone risks being infected with the mumps virus.

“The only people that are safe are those who have had the infection before. This is because they would have developed immunity against the infection, as mumps doesn’t infect the same person twice.

“Every other person is at risk — from the school, to the larger community,” Falade says.

Possible complications

Onibiyo warns that contrary to traditional practice of rubbing palm oil and other home-made concoctions on mumps, the only recommended treatment is better sought in the hospital where the condition can be properly diagnosed and the appropriate treatment offered.

Falade says the complications of mumps are such that, at some stage, the brain tissues and sexual organs can be affected.

He says though cases of infertility have not been traced to mumps infection, the fact that the testes and the ovaries can be affected in extreme cases is enough reason for anyone to take the treatment seriously.

What are the possible complications of mumps? Falade says in the case of male victims, the testicles may come under the assault of the infectious virus.

He says, “There’s a condition medically known as orchitis, which causes one or both testicles to swell in males who have reached puberty.

“This condition is painful, hence the need for careful medical care whenever an individual has this infection.”

Onibiyo says where treatment is delayed, the victim’s pancreas can be affected.

“The pancreas regulates our body’s sugar levels and also enables us to digest our food. When mumps affects the pancreas, the victim will develop a condition known as pancreatitis. He or she will have pain in the upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting.

“That is why you can’t toy with mumps,” the physician says.

Again, the doctors say, females who have reached puberty may develop inflammation in the ovaries or breasts while the infection runs its course, hence the need for good medical attention.

Worse is the warning that, because mumps is a viral infection, it can lead to inflammation of the brain!

Onibiyo warns, “This condition, medically called encephalitis, can lead to neurological problems and become life-threatening.

“This is because the victim can start manifesting changes in mental state, such as confusion, drowsiness or disorientation. S/he can develop seizures and consequently lose consciousness.”

He adds that meningitis can also occur if the mumps virus spreads through the bloodstream to infect the central nervous system.

The physicians also warn that delay in seeking treatment for mumps can lead to permanent hearing loss in one or both ears.

This is why you can’t neglect mumps once you know it’s there!

Mumps is preventable!

Despite its deadliness, mumps is one of those diseases that no one should be infected with. This is simply because it is preventable!

Falade says, “Mumps can be prevented through vaccination. The vaccine is a part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunisation, which is usually given to children at 12-15 months of age.

“A second dose of MMR is generally given when a child is between the age of four and six years. But if you will be travelling with your child, it is advisable to seek your doctor’s opinion, as he may see the need to let your child have the immunisation at six months of age in order to prevent possible infection overseas.”

The bottom line: Once you suspect that your child — or any member of the family — has been infected with mumps, see the doctor immediately.

PUNCH.