I was visiting with a friend the other day about the latest article I was working on, measles. She inquired whether I’d had measles, mumps, or rubella. If she could have seen my face, I would have been looking at her like she’d sprouted a third eye in the middle of her forehead. Of course I hadn’t experienced any of those diseases. And yet she had them all. Before I said anything stupid, she commented, “What a difference a few years makes.” Those vaccines weren’t available until about the time I was born, and she happens to be about eight years older than I.
Most of my off-grid medicine books other than The Ship’s Medicine Chest did not have any useful information on mumps identification or treatment. The information below comes straight from The Ship’s Medicine Chest. Additional info from the other sources and the CDC follows.
Mumps
Incubation Period: 12-26 days.
Isolation Period: 21 days.
Mumps is an acute, contagious, viral disease identified by tenderness and swelling of one or more of the salivary glands. Usually the parotid pair of salivary glands is affected. The virus may be spread by direct or indirect contact with nose and throat discharges from an infected person.
Mumps is most prevalent in the winter and spring, and occasionally cases are seen in cities the year around. It is apt to occur in camps, training stations, and among new members of a ship’s company recruited from rural districts and never previously exposed to mumps. One attack usually gives immunity for life.
At first there is a general feeling of malaise, headache, stiff neck, a slight rise in temperature, and at times nausea. In severe cases the temperature may reach 104°F (40°C) and last as long as a week. On the second day the swelling usually begins on one side and increases greatly in size. In a couple of days, there is considerable enlargement at the side of the neck, the posterior part of the cheek, and underneath the side of the jawbone. The patient complains of pain and stiffness on moving the lower jaw. The opposite side of the face usually becomes affected in a few days. The swelling lasts about ten days.
In the average case in childhood, the patient has little trouble beyond stiffness of the jaw, discomfort from swelling, and pain on opening the mouth. However, in young adult males, the infection may spread to one or both testicles to produce a painful inflammation and swelling called orchitis. This is a serious condition because in some adult males there may be long term damage to the testes that could cause one or both to cease to be functional.
Treatment
The patient should have bed rest with strict isolation nursing technique followed, because the infecting virus may be spread by coughing and sneezing. There is no specific medicine for the cure of mumps and symptoms should be treated as they arise.
Petrolatum rubbed gently over the swelling may relieve the stiffness and tightness of the stretched skin. A hot water bottle or heating pad may help to relieve pain. Cold applications should not be used. Mouthwash may be used several times a day. For pain or extreme discomfort, aspirin 600 mg should be given by mouth every three to four hours as needed. If aspirin is not well tolerated by the patient, acetaminophen may be tried at the same dosage and frequency.
Nourishing liquids and soft diet with an abundance of water should be given. Milk of magnesia should be administered as needed to avoid constipation.
If the testicles become involved, they should be supported on a towel or pillow. Keep the patient at absolute rest in bed until the swelling and tenderness have disappeared. When the patient is allowed up, he should wear a suspensory. If there is unusual pain or indication of further complication, medical advice by radio should be obtained.
That concludes the citation from The Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea.
Notes from other sources:
In adults and children over 11 years of age, abdominal pain may develop after the first week.[1]
If the testicles are swollen, in addition to supporting with a towel or pillow, apply ice packs or cold wet cloths to reduce pain and swelling.[2]
If signs of meningitis appear, seek immediate care from a physician.[3]
The mumps vaccine, usually administered as part of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, is only about 88% effective, meaning it is quite possible to acquire a case of mumps even if a person is fully vaccinated.[4]
Orchitis occurs in 20-30% of unvaccinated and 6-7% of vaccinated postpubertal males. In most cases, only one side is affected. It generally doesn’t cause infertility, but may cause testicular atrophy and hypofertility.[5]
Studies of cases of mumps in pregnant women suggest that there is no effect on the developing fetus.[6]
Symptoms and complications associated with mumps are much less severe in those vaccinated against mumps.[7]
Herbs reported useful in treating mumps include the following:
Elder (bark)[8]
Isatis (leaf and/or root decoction)[9]
References:
The Ship’s Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea, 1978, 180.
[1] David Werner, Where There Is No Doctor, 312.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Mumps,” Centers for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp.html (accessed 2 October 2020).
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Stephen Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 160, 164.
[9] Ibid, 200-206.
12.9.20
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