Staying Healthy in Child Care - National Health and Medical ...

Mumps
Description
Mumps is an infection caused by a virus. Mumps is now uncommon, since children
are immunised against it, but before the days of immunisation, most people had
mumps when they were children (most often between 5 and 9 years of age).
Symptoms, when present, include swelling of one or more of the salivary glands, high
fever and headache. About 30% of people with mumps will have only mild symptoms
or no symptoms at all. In males, tenderness in the testicles may occur. Females may
have some lower abdominal pain.
Complications can occur, including inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, hearing
loss, sterility (very rare) or death (extremely rare).
Spread is by direct contact with droplets from the sneeze or cough of an infected
person.
Incubation period
12–25 days, usually 16–18 days.
Infectious period
Up to six days before swelling of the glands begins and up to nine days after the onset
of swelling.
Exclusion period
Exclude the child from the centre for nine days after onset of swelling.
Responsibilities of child care providers/staff
Report the infection to the director.
Responsibilities of parents
Observe the exclusion period.
Controlling the spread of infection
Mumps can be prevented by immunisation. Fully immunised communities offer the
best protection against mumps. Children should be immunised against mumps at 12
months of age and again at 4 years with the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The vaccine provides long-term immunity. Illness provides lifelong immunity.
Careful hygiene practices are important to prevent the spread of any infection. These
include effective hand washing and appropriate disposal of used tissues.
Treatment
None.
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