Mumps?

Published

Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

Sent a little girl home today with a very swollen right jaw, tender to touch and open/close, low grade temp... Strongly suspicious for mumps... Any experience with sending kids home with the mumps? Not a common thing, I'm sure, just wanted to hear from you :)

Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health, Home Care.
Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

Hmmm, I don't know. I've only seen one case of mumps, about 16 years ago. No immunizations. That poor kid was miserable. I remember having mumps myself--not fun.And when my dad got it too, he was out of work for 2 weeks, and you talk about miserable! That was miserable at a whole nother level:eek:

Ask yourself these questions: how prevalent is Mumps in your community/state? Where would she have gotten them from? I recently had a staff member at another school call me because the nurse sub over there had said that she thought a child had measles, and another pregnant staff member was concerned. Checking our state health department website, I found out that the last year they had records available for (2009) there was only one case in the entire state and none at all the 3 years before that. The child had not traveled recently, nor was around anyone who had traveled. I felt that it was not very likely that it was the measles at all. If no one around her has had mumps, nor was suffering similiar symptoms, and there are not any reported cases in your community, then I'd have second thoughts about calling it the mumps.

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

just a quick thought. we have several religious denominations who do not and will not vaccinate for any reason in this area. some of these kids attend the public schools. others, such as the amish, have their own schools.

all of these children, their younger siblings, and other family members shop in town, sometimes eat in the restaurants, etc. and are well intergated into our and the surrounding communities. there was quite a measles epidemic a few years ago.

is something like this a possibility?

Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

The student is immunized.

Mumps not real prevalent around here but we do have a well-integrated community so it is entirely possible that she could have been exposed. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the mumps (we've been out for snow days since) but I couldn't let her go without informing Mom of the complaints and a description of what the area looked like.

Thanks!!!

MMWR 2010: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5905a1.htm

The efficacy of the Mumps vaccine is found on CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/13/1/12.htm

In England in 2004 / 2005, 312 cases of mumps were reported in children eligible to have received 2 doses of MMR vaccine.

Vaccine effectiveness was 88% for 1 dose and 95% for 2 doses.

Waning immunity may contribute to mumps outbreaks in older vaccinated populations.

+ Join the Discussion