What to do if a child has mumps and a fever

Summer is the peak season for mumps in children. If a baby gets mumps during this season, many inexperienced mothers will feel helpless. How can they prevent the disease? How can mothers know their baby’s illness early? How can you help your baby treat mumps? Next, let me tell you some methods to prevent this type of disease.

Mumps, also known as epidemic parotitis, is more common in children aged 5 to 10 years old. It is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by a virus. Mumps can occur in children throughout the year, but is most common in winter and spring. It is mainly transmitted through droplets and contact with patients.

The clinical features are fever and non-purulent swelling and pain in the parotid glands, and it may invade various glandular tissues or the nervous system and organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and joints. If a child has mumps, antibodies are produced in the body and the child is given lifelong immunity.

1. What are the symptoms of mumps

After a baby is infected with the mumps virus, it will take about 2 to 3 weeks for the baby to show symptoms of discomfort.

① For most babies with the disease, swelling and pain under the ears are the earliest symptoms. For a few babies with the disease, symptoms of general discomfort such as fever, headache, vomiting, and poor appetite appear 1 to 2 days before the parotid gland swelling, followed by pain under one or both ears, which means the parotid gland is swollen.

② After 1 to 2 days of onset, the parotid gland may swell. The surface skin is tense, shiny, not red, hot, and painful. It gets worse when you open your mouth or eat something sour. The parotid gland swells first on one side and then develops into bilateral swelling. Sometimes both parotid glands swell simultaneously.

③ After 2 to 3 days, the symptoms become prominent, the body temperature may reach 39 to 40°C, and the swollen parotid duct opening can be seen on the buccal mucosa next to the maxillary second molar, with no purulent secretions discharged. It takes about 7 to 14 days to recover.

How is mumps treated?

In addition to going to the hospital for treatment, children with mumps can also try single-remedy treatment. In addition, children's eating utensils should be kept separate and boiled and disinfected regularly. The sick child's clothes, bedding and other items can be taken outdoors to dry in the sun during the illness. Washbasins, towels, handkerchiefs and other items need to be scalded with boiling water 1-2 times a day.

Mumps unilateral treatment:

1. 3-5g of Indigo, a piece of Zijin Tablet (ground into powder), add vinegar to make a thin paste and apply it to the affected area. Apply it again after it dries, about 6-8 times a day, until the pain is relieved, about 4-5 days.

2. Apply indigo or young willow leaf paste to the affected area 1-2 times a day until the swelling subsides.

3. Grind 10ml of vinegar into black juice with scented ink in an inkstone, and apply it to the swollen area with a brush, 3-4 times a day, for 2-5 days.

4. Wash and mash 50g each of fresh Radix Trichosanthis and Herba Plantaine, add a little salt and apply to the affected area, 1-2 times a day for 2-5 days.

5. Remove the hairs and thorns on the surface of fresh cactus, wash and mash it and apply it twice a day for 4-6 days.

At home, parents should also provide good treatment and care so that their children can recover faster. The following are some of the methods of home treatment and care:

Isolation: Once a child is found to have mumps, the first thing to do is to separate him or her from healthy people, and the room should be ventilated regularly to maintain air circulation. Do not go to kindergarten or school during the onset of the disease until the swelling of the parotid gland subsides to avoid infecting other children. Sick children should rest in bed and avoid overwork.

Disinfection: After a child has mumps, all of his or her eating utensils should be separated from those of other people and boiled and disinfected regularly. The sick child's clothes, bedding and other items can be taken outdoors to dry in the sun during the illness. Washbasins, towels, handkerchiefs and other items need to be scalded with boiling water 1-2 times a day.

Lower body temperature: Measure your child’s temperature regularly and take cooling measures if necessary. Encourage children to drink plenty of water to facilitate sweat evaporation and dissipate heat. When the fever is high, you can use cold compresses on the head, warm water or alcohol baths to physically cool down, or take appropriate amounts of antipyretics. In the early stages of fever, ribavirin, interferon or isatis root can be given for antiviral treatment.

Relieve pain: In the early stage of cheek swelling, you can use a cold towel to apply local cold compress to cause local blood vessels to contract, thereby reducing the degree of inflammation and congestion and achieving the purpose of relieving pain. You can also mix Ruyi Jinhuang Powder with tea or vinegar and apply it to the affected area to keep the local medicine moist to exert its efficacy and prevent pain caused by dryness and cracking. If a boy has testicular pain, he can use a bandage to support the scrotum to relieve the pain.

Finally, the editor recommends that parents should maintain their children’s oral hygiene: ask their children to rinse their mouths with warm salt water frequently. Be careful not to feed your child irritating food. Give the sick child liquid or semi-liquid food that is easy to chew and digest to reduce the child's swallowing difficulty. Drink more water to help excrete toxins from the body.