This is a fairly common infectious disease in children, but not every parent understands correctly how to recognize and care for sick children.
According to MSc.BS Vu Thi Thuy Duong - Deputy Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital 2, mumps is an acute infectious disease caused by the mumps virus (belonging to the Paramyxovirus family). The virus transmits from person to person through saliva and respiratory droplets upon close contact.
The most characteristic manifestation of the disease is otitis media. After an incubation period of 12-25 days, children often experience mild fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite or ear pain for about 2-3 days before the palate corner area begins to swell.
When sick, the parotid gland can be swollen on one or both sides, causing the child pain when opening their mouth, chewing or swallowing food. The swelling usually increases gradually in the first 1-3 days and then decreases gradually in the following week. Unlike many other inflammatory diseases, the swollen skin area is usually not red and not hot.
Although most cases of mumps progress mildly, the disease still has the risk of causing some complications such as pancreatitis, testicular inflammation, ovarian inflammation, mastitis, meningitis, encephalitis or hearing loss.
According to Dr. Duong, testicular inflammation is a complication that many parents are concerned about because of concerns about affecting fertility. However, testicular inflammation caused by mumps is not synonymous with infertility. However, this condition can lead to testicular atrophy and reduce future fertility.
Parents need to take their children to a medical facility immediately when signs of suspected complications appear such as prolonged high fever, lethargy, severe headache, continuous vomiting, severe abdominal pain, hearing loss or swelling and pain in the scrotum.
According to doctors, many parents still pass on remedies such as applying leaves, lime, betel, ink or applying garlic, ginger, and gac seeds to the swollen area with the desire to help children recover quickly.
However, these are unscientific and potentially risky methods. Applying ingredients to swollen skin can cause irritation, skin burns, and even lead to infection or superinfection.
When taking care of children with mumps at home, parents should let children take a day off from school, limit contact with others for at least 5 days from the start of inflammation of the parotid gland to reduce the risk of spread.
According to MSc.BS Vu Thi Thuy Duong, the most effective disease prevention measure today is vaccination. Measles vaccine is usually given in the form of measles - mumps - rubella (MMR) combination, with the first dose when children are 12-15 months old and a booster dose at 4-6 years old.
