Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHome RemediesOver-the-Counter MedicationsPrescriptionsSpecialist Driven ProceduresComplementary Medicine (CAM)Frequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Home Remedies
Over-the-Counter Medications
Prescriptions
Specialist Driven Procedures
Complementary Medicine (CAM)
Frequently Asked Questions
Mumps is a viral infection that does not respond to any specific antiviral treatment. The infection usually improves on its own, although, sometimes, complications can occur.
During the time when you are sick with the infection, supportive treatment and medical treatment can be used to relieve the symptoms of a mild mumps infection. If you develop a severe mumps infection, or if you have complications, you are more likely to need medical management of your illness.
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If you or your child has mumps, you might not need hospitalization. With most cases of mumps, the illness and recovery period will be at home. There is no curative treatment for mumps, other than supportive care.During the illness and recovery, there are several things you can do for comfort.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Most of the symptoms of mumps can be managed with over-the-counter medicationsfor pain and fever.
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There are no prescription medications that can specifically treat mumps when you become sick with the infection. However, mumps infection is preventable with a vaccine.
The vaccine given for mumps is a live virus vaccine, which means that it stimulates immunity when the weakened virus is injected into the body. The standard recommended schedule for mumps vaccine is twice during the early years of life, the first time between ages 12 to 15 months and the second time between ages 4 to 6 years.
Mumps vaccine is typically given as part of the MMR vaccine, which includes measles, mumps, and rubella. It provides between 93-97% immunity in healthy children.
Surgery is not a typical part of mumps treatment. However, if you have complications such as pancreatitis,meningitis, ororchitisyou may need to have a diagnostic test such as an X-ray or a CT scan to guide your medical team in managing your complications.Other procedures may include a biopsy and abscess drainage.
Biopsy
Abscess Drainage
An abscess, which is a confined area of pus, can result from mumps infection, although it is very uncommon.If you develop an abscess, your practitioners may need to drain it because it can be difficult to treat with medication.
Draining an abscess is generally an uncomplicated procedure. It may require local anesthesia to numb the area for pain reduction. Your healthcare providers would then make an incision in the infected area and allow the infected pus to drain. Then the area will be cleansed. Depending on the size of the abscess and the incision you may or may not need stitches.
Complementary and alternative treatments have been shown to be helpful for a number of different medical illnesses. Alternative treatments, in particular, can reduce discomfort.
Several alternative treatments have been specifically evaluated for the treatment of mumps, and, at this time, they have not appeared to show promising results.
Herbal Remedies
There have been a number of research studies looking at the possible effectiveness of herbal remedies for mumps. A recent research study specifically evaluated a large group of studies to evaluate the overall evidence of herbal treatments for mumps. The researchers found that they could not verify that any specific herb is effective in treating mumps or in relieving the swelling of the parotid glands.
Acupuncture
Acupuncturetreatment often reduces pain, discomfort, and other symptoms of other illnesses. Acupuncture, similarly, has been studied for mumps. Research studies do not currently point to any definitive evidence showing that acupuncture is useful for preventing mumps, for treating the infection once it has started, or for relieving symptoms of the infection.
Frequently Asked QuestionsMost people recover from mumps within two weeks. However, it is possible to have serious complications, which in rare cases can lead to death or disability. Complications include:Hearing lossMeningitisPancreatitisEncephalitisIf you have mumps, you can spread the disease from a few days before your salivary glands swell to about five days after they start swelling. You should avoid contact with others and stay home from work and school during that time.Call your healthcare provider if you suspect you have anysymptoms of mumps. Get immediate medical help if symptoms get worse or you experience new symptoms. Serious symptoms can include severe headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, seizures, confusion, vomiting, extreme sleepiness, and loss of consciousness.
Most people recover from mumps within two weeks. However, it is possible to have serious complications, which in rare cases can lead to death or disability. Complications include:Hearing lossMeningitisPancreatitisEncephalitis
Most people recover from mumps within two weeks. However, it is possible to have serious complications, which in rare cases can lead to death or disability. Complications include:
If you have mumps, you can spread the disease from a few days before your salivary glands swell to about five days after they start swelling. You should avoid contact with others and stay home from work and school during that time.
Call your healthcare provider if you suspect you have anysymptoms of mumps. Get immediate medical help if symptoms get worse or you experience new symptoms. Serious symptoms can include severe headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, seizures, confusion, vomiting, extreme sleepiness, and loss of consciousness.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Davison P, Morris J.Mumps. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534785/
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World Health Organization.Measles.
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National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Vaccine for Measles. cdc.gov
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He J, Jia P, Zheng M, Zhang M, Jiang H.Acupuncture for mumps in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(2):CD008400. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008400.pub3
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mumps.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical overview of mumps.
Kim JS, Oh JS, Kwon SH, Kim MS, Yoon YJ.Mumps Presenting as a Parotid Abscess. J Craniofac Surg. 2016 May;27(3):e233-5. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000002434.Shu M, Zhang YQ, Li Z. et al.Chinese medicinal herbs for mumps. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 18;(4):CD008578. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008578.pub3.He J, Jia P, Zheng M, Zhang M, Jiang H.Acupuncture for mumps in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Feb 2;(2):CD008400. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008400.pub3.
Kim JS, Oh JS, Kwon SH, Kim MS, Yoon YJ.Mumps Presenting as a Parotid Abscess. J Craniofac Surg. 2016 May;27(3):e233-5. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000002434.
Shu M, Zhang YQ, Li Z. et al.Chinese medicinal herbs for mumps. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 18;(4):CD008578. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008578.pub3.
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