Communicable Disease Health Education

the disease process, including the introduction and transmission routes.

In developing countries, various communicable diseases are often encountered, with poverty
and malnutrition leading to amplified severity of the infections. One such communicable disease is
mumps. Mumps is a contagious viral infection most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15
years. However, mumps is rarely seen these days, especially in developed countries, because of the
success of immunization programs, although it is still a problem in developing countries like Ghana.
Statistics show that mumps cases in Ghana were about 16,664 in 2019, down from 22,069 in 2018,
representing a change of 24.49 percent. Mumps is a viral infection affecting the salivary glands and can
be prevented easily through vaccination. Mumps affects the parotid glands, salivary glands below and in
front of the ears. The disease is often spread through saliva. Once one contracts the virus, it replicates in
the upper respiratory tract. The risk of spreading the virus increases with the longer and closer contact
with an individual has with an individual with mumps.

Mumps is caused by a virus that spreads easily from one individual to another via infected
saliva. If one is not immune to mumps, she or she can contract the disease by breathing in saliva
droplets from an infected individual who just sneezed or coughed. One can also contract mumps from
sharing utensils or even cups with an individual with the disease. Mumps typically begins with a few
days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite and will take up to 2 to 3 weeks to
starts showing symptoms. The symptoms commonly observed in mumps in both children and adults
include difficulty chewing, discomfort in the salivary glands, pain and tenderness of the testicles for
men, fever, headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, and muscle aches. The primary symptom of mump is
swollen salivary glands that cause the cheeks to puff out. The complications associated with mumps
include mastitis, orchitis, meningitis, parotitis, oophoritis, deafness, miscarriages, heart problems, and
pancreatitis.

Self-management tips

Individuals with mumps need to abide by the following self-tips to reduce the complications and manage
the symptoms:

 Get enough bed rest until the symptoms clear.

 Isolate yourself or your child to prevent spreading the disease to others.
 Take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, to bring down your
fever.
 Soothe swollen glands by applying ice packs.
 Try broth-based soups or soft foods, such as mashed potatoes or oatmeal.
 Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration due to fever.
 Make a paste made with dry ginger powder and water and apply it on the visibly swollen areas.
 Warm salt water gargle
 Use a warm or cold compress to ease the pain of swollen glands.
 Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and put the used tissue in
the trash can.
  Washing the hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
 Avoiding sharing objects that might have saliva on them, like water bottles or cups.
 Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, like toys, doorknobs, tables, counters.

Diet and nutrition directions

Foods to be taken

Cooked rice and other cereals

Runny oatmeal

Mashed potato

Soups

Fruits

Cold-water fish

Ginger

Garlic

Black pepper

Paneer

Beans

Eat a soft diet of soup, yogurt, and other foods that are not hard to chew because chewing may be
painful when the glands are swollen.

Foods to be avoided

Meat

Citrus foods

Processed foods

Foods hard to chew

Avoid acidic foods like citrus fruits or juices and beverages that may cause more pain in the salivary
glands. Such foods may stimulate the production of saliva.

Consider sucking on ice chips or frozen ice.

Potential treatment options

 Vaccination is the best option for protection against mumps.

 The vaccine is included in the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and measles-mumps-
rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccines.
  However, treatment for mumps focuses on relieving the symptoms intil the body’s immune
system fights off the infection.
 Currently, there are no medications approved for treating mumps virus.
 The infection often passes within a week or two.
 Mumps is caused by a virus, so antibiotics aren't effective. But most children and adults recover
from an uncomplicated case of mumps within a few weeks.
 Consider take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen like Tylenol or nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen such as Advil, Motrin I to ease the symptoms.
 Use warm or cold compress to ease the pain of swollen glands.
 Consider warm saltwater gargles, soft foods, and extra fluids to relieve symptoms.

Potential resources

 Availability of human resources should consider the outbreak epidemiology.

 Logistic resources of providing immunization to susceptible contacts and population groups
 Supply and acquisition of vaccines.
 Multimedia resources such as video, print, and other digital materials about mumps vaccination
and outbreaks
 MMWR Articles with Mumps chapters from CDC textbooks, mumps-related MMWR articles, CDC
health advisories, and other publications

Risk reduction

 The first risk reduction strategy is getting an MMR vaccine.

 Properly clean environmental surface that are regularly touched using a disinfectant that is
effective against enveloped viruses.
 Avoid sharing utensils or cups with infected individuals.
 Wash and sanitize hands regularly
 Minimize close contact with infected individuals.
 Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing to avoid spreading the virus
to others.
 Avoid acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) due to the risk of Reye's syndrome.

Summary

• The target population for this presentation includes children and parents of children between the
ages of 2 to 12 years old. The children in this age group are at higher risk of contracting mumps. Besides,
the target population includes those living in developing countries like Ghana, especially those living
below the poverty line. In these areas, the resources available include vaccinations, patient handout on
MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) Vaccine available at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) Vaccine available at Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Mumps available at Medical Encyclopedia, Mumps and the Vaccine (Shot) to Prevent
mumps available at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Orchitis available at Medical
Encyclopedia. The other resources include human resources, including healthcare workers and social
workers who act as case managers. Moreover, multimedia resources like video, print, and other digital
materials about mumps vaccination and outbreaks are essential to control and prevent the virus. Most
importantly, MMWR Articles with Mumps chapters from CDC textbooks, mumps-related MMWR
articles, CDC health advisories, and other publications are important resources that are useful in
learning more about mumps and preventive measures.

This main tool targets to prevent the spread of mumps and offering ways to manage the infection and
speed the recovery time. The prevention of mumps begins at the individual level, where persons need to
take measures to prevent contracting the virus and spreading the virus to other people. To prevent the
spread of the virus, individuals should always thoroughly wash their hands, cover their mouth and nose
with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, put the used tissue in the trash can., and regularly clean the
mostly-touched surfaces. If one lacks a tissue, one should cough or sneeze into the upper sleeve or
elbow, but not on the hands. During an outbreak, individuals should ensure that the whole family
members are up to date on their MMR vaccine. As a public resource, the local public health authorities
or institutions might recommend that individuals at increased risk for mumps to get an additional dose.

References

Clemmons, N., Hickman, C., Lee, A., Marin, M., & Patel, M. (2018). Mumps. Manual for the
surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Knoema. (2019). Ghana Mumps cases, 1920-2020 - knoema.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021, from
https://knoema.com/atlas/Ghana/topics/Health/Communicable-Diseases/Mumps-
cases#:~:text=Ghana%20%2D%20Mumps%20reported%20cases&text=Ghana
%20mumps%20cases%20was%20at,is%20a%20change%20of%2024.49%25.
La Torre, G., Saulle, R., Unim, B., Meggiolaro, A., Barbato, A., Mannocci, A., & Spadea, A.
(2017). The effectiveness of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination in the
prevention of pediatric hospitalizations for targeted and untargeted infections: a
retrospective cohort study. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 13(8), 1879-1883.
Principi, N., & Esposito, S. (2018). Mumps outbreaks: A problem in need of solutions. Journal
of Infection, 76(6), 503-506.
Ramanathan, R., Voigt, E. A., Kennedy, R. B., & Poland, G. A. (2018). Knowledge gaps persist
and hinder progress in eliminating mumps. Vaccine, 36(26), 3721-3726.