Mumps

Hey guys, in this lesson we are going to learn about the disease Mumps.
Mumps is a very contagious viral infection. The major thing it does is cause swelling of the parotid gland, which is a salivary gland. You can see the parotid gland in the picture here. Mumps is pretty rare due to the MMR vaccine – but outbreaks still occur.

It is spread via direct contact with droplets and the infectious period is pretty long – 9 days after the parotid gland swelling began.

For your assessment, you would expect to see fever and malaise (so, just feeling really crappy), a headache, ear and jaw pain and the swollen, puffy cheeks and jaw, you can see in the photo here. That is caused by the swollen salivary glands.

These patients need to be on contact and droplet precautions. If they are being managed outpatient make sure to tell parents that the child is contagious for 9 days after the swelling started so they will be out of school and daycare for a long time!

For the most part management is supportive. So, encouraging rest and fluid intake. Saltwater gargles and warm or cold compresses may help with the discomfort. And often a soft, bland diet is best!

Complications that can occur are hearing loss and orchitis. Orchitis is when the testicles become inflamed. There has been some concern that this causes sterility, but this is very rare.

Prevention is obviously a big part of nursing care. The MMR vaccine immunizes against Measles, Mumps and Rubella and is usually given between 12-15 months and again between 4-6 years.

Your priority nursing concepts for a pediatric patient with Mumps are immunity, infection control, and health promotion.
Okay, let’s go over the key points for this lesson. Mumps is a viral infection that is contagious for 9 days after swelling. It is spread by contact and droplet so make sure your infection control precautions are in place! The major assessment finding is swelling and pain in the jaw caused by inflammation of the parotid gland.

Treatment is supportive and monitoring for complications, like hearing loss and inflammation of the testicles.

And remember, this disease can be prevented with the MMR vaccine!
That’s it for our lesson on Mumps. Make sure you check out all the resources attached to this lesson. Now, go out and be your best self today. Happy Nursing!