Management and Prevention Diagnosis of Mumps Infection

F. Management and Prevention

No specific treatment is available for mumps. Uncomplicated parotitis seldom require treatment except adequate. Some authorities recommend a short course of corticosteriods in severe cases. Mumps is the commonest cause of meningitis and encephalitis in many countries such as USA and Scandinavia and many countries have mumps vaccination as part of their vaccination program. At one time, there was some argument as to whether a vaccination program against mumps was necessary but the combination of mumps with rubella and measles in the same vaccine had swung the argument vastly in its favour. An inactivated vaccine was first used in the 1940s successfully. This has now been replaced by a live attenuated vaccine. The protection rate is over 95% and no adverse reactions are associated with the vaccine. In the USA, where more than 40 million doses of mumps vaccine have been administered, a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out. In a cohort of 1 million people, the vaccine would prevent over 74,000 cases of mumps and 3 deaths and the cost-benefit ratio is 7.4:1. Mumps vaccine is now routinely given as part of the MMR regimen in many countries to all infants.