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The mumps case are rare in France thanks to vaccination campaigns. Despite everything, several hundred children still catch them every year. However, this disease is generally mild in young children. Indeed, the formidable mumps complications (eg deafness, male infertility) tend to affect young adults. To learn more, focus on this predominantly childhood disease!
How is the mumps virus transmitted?
The baby mumps are caused by a virus: the virus ourlien. Very contagious, it spreads mainly by air, via droplets of saliva or mucus released during a cough, sneezing … The virus can give rise to real mumps outbreaks, often starting in nurseries and primary schools. It primarily affects children aged 3 to 10 years. The incubation period of the virus is rather long: 21 days.
After this period, the first symptoms of mumps appear in children. Headaches of varying intensity, fever and body aches are among the first signs. Both parotids, salivary glands located just below each ear at the back of the jaw, are infested with the virus. They then swell in a sometimes quite spectacular way. We are talking about «Our parotidite». Painful, these glands make it difficult for the child to eat and speak. The mumps complications remain rare in babies.
In 3 to 5% of cases, this disease causes mumps meningitis. However, like most viral meningitis, this is usually mild and resolves on its own within a few days.
In less than 1% of cases, the mumps virus causes a more serious complication. This is essentially a risk of infertility in boys due to atrophy of the testicles following orchitis. Deafness due to damage to the auditory nerve is also possible, but it is not necessarily permanent.
Also to know: the virus ourlien is dangerous during pregnancy for unimmunized pregnant women. Caught during the first months of pregnancy, it can indeed cause a miscarriage or fetal malformations.
How is mumps diagnosed in children?
Le diagnosis of mumps in children is essentially based on a clinical examination. The doctor takes into account the different symptoms and asks the parents about the baby’s vaccines. He also dwells in particular on the characteristics of parotitis. It affects both glands during mumps, which immediately eliminates the causes of unilateral parotitis such as a parotid tumor for example.
How to prevent and treat baby mumps?
Although not very dangerous in the vast majority of cases, prevention is always better than cure. It is therefore advisable to vaccinate baby against mumps from the age of 1 year. It may be the mumps vaccine or the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine: the MMR vaccine.
As to mumps treatment in itself, it does not exist. No need in fact: the disease heals on its own in 10-15 days on average. Some doctors still sometimes recommend using homeopathy during the first days of the disease to reduce symptoms. Other solutions exist to relieve babies: paracetamol against fever, frequent drinks against dehydration… Also favor dishes that do not need to be chewed: purees, yogurt, compote, etc. Finally, isolate baby from other children during its contagious phase, lasting on average from a week before to 10 days after the onset of symptoms.