For the computer language of the same name, see MUMPS.
Mumps or Epidemic parotitis is a viral disease of humans. Prior to the development of vaccination, it was a common childhood disease worldwide, and is still a significant threat to health in the third world.
It causes painful enlargement of the salivary or parotid glands.
1 Causes and risks
The mumps are caused by a paramyxovirus, which is spread from person to person by saliva droplets or direct contact with articles that have been contaminated with infected saliva. The parotid glands (the salivary glands between the ear and the jaw) are usually involved. Children between the ages of 2 and 12 are most commonly infected, but the infection can occur in other age groups. In older people, other organs may become involved including the testes, the central nervous systemThe human central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. These lie in the midline of the body and are associated with the skull and vertebrae respectively. see Nervous System) The central nervous system along with the peripheral nervous sys, the pancreasThe pancreas is a retroperitoneal organ that serves two functions: exocrine it produces pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes endocrine it produces several important hormones Anatomy The pancreas is a retroperitoneal organ located posterior to the, the prostateThe prostate is a gland that is part of male mammalian sex organs. Its main function is to secrete and store a clear, slightly acidic fluid that is part of semen. A healthy prostate is approximately the size of a walnut. It surrounds the urethra just belo, the breastmilk to feed infants. The term breasts can refer to the upper ventral region of the human torso. Alternatively the term is used for each of two parts of that, especially for women: the breasts are parts of the female human body that contain the organs thas, and other organs. The incubation periodIncubation period is the time elapsed between exposure to a pathogenic organism and when symptoms and signs are first apparent. The period may be as short as minutes, to as long as thirty years in the case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A person ma is usually 12 to 24 days.
2 Prevention
MMR immunizationThe MMR vaccine is a combined vaccine for immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. It is generally administered to children around the age of 1 year, with a booster dose before starting school (i. It is widely used around the world; since its intr ( vaccinesyringe containing the influenza vaccine. A vaccine (named after vaccinia, the infectious agent of cowpox, which, when inoculated, provides protection against smallpox) is used to prepare a human or animal's immune system to defend the body against a spec) protects against measles, mumps and rubella and should be given to children 15 months old. The vaccination is repeated in some locations between 4 to 6 years of age, or between 11 and 12 years of age if not previously given.
