Mumps symptoms in children include earache, sore throat, fever, and swelling of the salivary glands. The virus can be spread through coughing or sneezing and can cause serious complications such as meningitis or encephalitis. Vaccination has made mumps a rare disease.
The most common symptoms of mumps in children are often quite general and include earache, sore throat, and fever. Swelling of the salivary glands, which can make the cheeks appear puffy, is one of the most characteristic symptoms. About a third of those infected with the mumps virus show no symptoms, especially children under the age of two. When symptoms do occur, they usually occur when the virus starts infecting other parts of the body such as the glands, pancreas, testicles, and ovaries.
The general nature of some of the symptoms of mumps means that this disease can be confused with other viruses. Earache, headache, sore throat, and pain when swallowing are symptoms of mumps in babies, but they can also indicate a number of different illnesses. These symptoms may be accompanied by a fever of 101° to 104° F (38° to 40° C) that lasts for two to three days.
In many cases, babies will also experience swelling and pain in one or more salivary glands. This can cause the jaw and one or both cheeks to appear swollen. Other symptoms include pain when swallowing and pain when eating acidic foods or drinking acidic liquids such as orange juice. Fatigue, muscle and joint pain, poor appetite and vomiting are also symptoms of mumps in children.
Once a child encounters the virus, the incubation period from when they become infected until they show symptoms is usually 16 to 18 days, but can be as long as 25 days. Infected people can spread the virus, particularly through coughing or sneezing, one to two days before they start showing symptoms and five to nine days afterward. Mumps occurs most often in children between the ages of two and 12, although unvaccinated adults are also susceptible to the virus. Mumps virus infections are most common in spring, especially April and May.
Complications of mumps can be serious. About one in ten children who get mumps will also have meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Occasionally, children will develop encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain itself. In rare cases, mumps can cause deafness or death.
While it can be uncomfortable, mumps is usually harmless and will run its course in about ten days. Before children were routinely vaccinated against the virus, it was a common childhood illness affecting 100,000 to 200,000 people each year. Today it is a rare disease. Parents can treat mumps symptoms in children with pain medication to reduce discomfort.
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