Mumps is a contagious viral infection
Mumps is resurging in India, with health authorities in Delhi and the neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) reporting a significant increase in mumps cases in recent weeks. The contagious viral infection primarily affects children and young adults from ages 18 to 25.
Dr Kiran Agarwal, the chairperson of Indian Academy of Pediatrics in Delhi, spoke to NDTV saying that there have been 3-5 cases of mumps in children reported every day since the past 7-9 months. She labelled it an “outbreak”.
What is mumps?
Mumps is a contagious viral infection that primarily affects the salivary glands, causing them to swell. It is caused by the mumps virus and typically spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking.
Mumps: Symptoms
Mumps is recognised by puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw, caused by swollen salivary glands under the ears, known as parotitis, according to Dr Agarwal and the CDC.
Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. These symptoms typically appear 16-18 days after infection, with an incubation period ranging from 12 to 25 days.
While some may experience mild symptoms like a cold or even no symptoms at all, others may develop more severe complications.
Mumps: Precautions
A person is most contagious a few days before symptoms develop and for a few days after that. Mumps spreads like regular colds and flu, through infected droplets of saliva that are inhaled or picked up from surfaces or transferred into the mouth or nose, as per the National Health Services (NHS).
- You can prevent its spread by regularly washing your hands with soap.
- By using and disposing of tissues when you sneeze.
- Avoiding school or work for at least 5 days after symptoms first appear.
- Dr Kiran Agarwal recommended protecting children from mumps by giving them the combined MMR vaccine, which also protects against measles and rubella. The child should receive the first dose around 12 to 13 months old and a second booster dose at 3 years and 4 months. After both doses, the vaccine offers approximately 88% protection against mumps. People who missed one or both doses of the vaccine during childhood can contact a doctor to schedule their vaccination again.
- Most people fully recover from mumps within 6 days to a week, according to Dr Agarwal.