Mumps Can Cause Infertility
Oct 28, 2002
Some diseases that affect children can cause infertility and one such disease is mumps.
By Malime Wa Gamusi
Some diseases that affect children can cause infertility and one such disease is mumps.
A child with mumps has a painful swelling just below the front of the ear on one or both sides, as well as fever. The symptoms last three days then disappear, but the after effects might come back to haunt the victim in adulthood when he fails to sire a child.
The pain of mumps worsens when a child swallows, talks, chews or drinks sour juices like orange.
“Mumps cause inflammation of testicles in males and breasts or ovaries in females and this is how it can cause infertility,†says Dr. Godfrey Bwire, a medical officer in the Ministry of Health.
In most cases mumps attacks only one of the two testicles or ovaries. This allows the victim to remain fertile because the other testicle or ovary can still function. However, if it attacks both ovaries or testis, the victim can fail to get children.
“When the attack is on both sides the sperm count will be very low and weak, leading to infertility but not impotence,†he says. This implies that the victim may achieve an erection and have sex normally, but fail to sire children.
Mumps can lead inflammation of the pancreas which as a result fails to produce insulin and finally causes diabetes..
A doctor at AAR hospital in Kampala said the disease may also affect the breasts, making them painful when breastfeeding.
In some cases, signs and symptoms of mumps are so mild that no one suspects a mumps infection.
It is an illness that affects the entire body but especially the salivary glands, where it causes a painful swelling. Usually it spreads through an infected person’s saliva, through air and possibly through the urine.
Outbreaks of mumps are more common during the rainy seasons where the air is damp. Infections occur by direct contact with saliva and discharges from the nose and throat of infected persons.
“It is rare in children younger than two years but it becomes more common as children grow,†she says. Children aged 10 to 19 are most likely to get mumps.
The incubation period is usually 16 to 18 days, although it varies from 12 to 25 days. One attack of mumps always makes a person immune.
To prevent the infection, children can be given an anti-mumps injections, but this doesn’t always prevent the disease. “Since mumps don’t have a specific treatment, in case of an attack, try to treat the shown symptoms, then the mumps will go themselves, he says.
Soothe the child’s swollen glands with either warm or cold packs. The affected child needs soft food, a balanced diet and plenty of fluids. Avoid serving acidic fruits like oranges because they worsen the pain. Children should not attend school when sick.
Ends
Some diseases that affect children can cause infertility and one such disease is mumps.
A child with mumps has a painful swelling just below the front of the ear on one or both sides, as well as fever. The symptoms last three days then disappear, but the after effects might come back to haunt the victim in adulthood when he fails to sire a child.
The pain of mumps worsens when a child swallows, talks, chews or drinks sour juices like orange.
“Mumps cause inflammation of testicles in males and breasts or ovaries in females and this is how it can cause infertility,†says Dr. Godfrey Bwire, a medical officer in the Ministry of Health.
In most cases mumps attacks only one of the two testicles or ovaries. This allows the victim to remain fertile because the other testicle or ovary can still function. However, if it attacks both ovaries or testis, the victim can fail to get children.
“When the attack is on both sides the sperm count will be very low and weak, leading to infertility but not impotence,†he says. This implies that the victim may achieve an erection and have sex normally, but fail to sire children.
Mumps can lead inflammation of the pancreas which as a result fails to produce insulin and finally causes diabetes..
A doctor at AAR hospital in Kampala said the disease may also affect the breasts, making them painful when breastfeeding.
In some cases, signs and symptoms of mumps are so mild that no one suspects a mumps infection.
It is an illness that affects the entire body but especially the salivary glands, where it causes a painful swelling. Usually it spreads through an infected person’s saliva, through air and possibly through the urine.
Outbreaks of mumps are more common during the rainy seasons where the air is damp. Infections occur by direct contact with saliva and discharges from the nose and throat of infected persons.
“It is rare in children younger than two years but it becomes more common as children grow,†she says. Children aged 10 to 19 are most likely to get mumps.
The incubation period is usually 16 to 18 days, although it varies from 12 to 25 days. One attack of mumps always makes a person immune.
To prevent the infection, children can be given an anti-mumps injections, but this doesn’t always prevent the disease. “Since mumps don’t have a specific treatment, in case of an attack, try to treat the shown symptoms, then the mumps will go themselves, he says.
Soothe the child’s swollen glands with either warm or cold packs. The affected child needs soft food, a balanced diet and plenty of fluids. Avoid serving acidic fruits like oranges because they worsen the pain. Children should not attend school when sick.
Ends