What Are the Symptoms of Mumps?

Symptoms of mumps usually appear within two weeks of exposure to the virus. Flu-like symptoms may be the first to appear, including:

• fatigue
• body aches
• headache
• loss of appetite
• low-grade fever

A high fever (up to 103 degrees Fahrenheit) and swelling of the salivary glands follow over the next few days. The glands may not all swell at once. More commonly, they swell and become painful periodically. You are most likely to pass the mumps virus to another person from the time you come into contact with the virus to when your parotid glands swell.

Most people who contract mumps show symptoms of the virus. However, some people have no or very few symptoms.

What Is the Treatment for Mumps?

Because mumps is a virus, it doesn’t respond to antibiotics or other medications. However, you can treat the symptoms to make yourself more comfortable while you’re sick.

• Rest when you feel weak or tired.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, to bring down your fever.
• Soothe swollen glands by applying ice packs.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration due to fever.
• Eat a soft diet of soup, yogurt, and other foods that aren’t hard to chew (chewing may be painful when your glands are swollen)
• Avoid acidic foods and beverages that may cause more pain in your salivary glands.

You can usually return to work or school about one week after a doctor diagnoses your mumps, if you feel up to it. By this point, you’re no longer contagious. Mumps usually runs its course in a couple of weeks. Ten days into your illness, you should be feeling better.

Most people who get mumps can’t contract the disease a second time. Having the virus once protects you against becoming infected again.

What Are the Complications Associated with Mumps?

Complications from mumps are rare, but they can be serious if left untreated. Mumps mostly affects the parotid glands. However, it can also cause inflammation in other areas of the body, including the brain and reproductive organs.

Orchitis is an inflammation of the testicles that may be due to mumps. You can manage orchitis pain by placing cold packs on the testicles several times a day. Your doctor may recommend prescription-strength painkillers if necessary. In rare cases, orchitis can cause sterility in males.

Females infected with mumps may experience swelling of the ovaries. The inflammation can be painful but doesn’t harm a woman’s eggs. However, if a woman contracts mumps during pregnancy, she has a higher-than-normal risk of suffering a miscarriage.