Precautions for Home Care of Mumps Patients

Okay, if someone at home has mumps, don't panic. Although it's contagious, with proper home care, most cases resolve within one to two weeks. Below, I've compiled some key precautions to help you.

Mumps Home Care: These Points Are All You Need!

1. Top Priority: Isolation! Isolation! Isolation!

Mumps is highly contagious, spread through saliva and droplets from sneezes.

• Duration: It's contagious from a few days before the swelling appears until it completely subsides. Therefore, from diagnosis, it's best to isolate until the parotid gland swelling has fully disappeared (which usually takes about 2-3 weeks).
• Space: Have the patient stay in a separate, well-ventilated room. Their eating utensils, towels, toothbrushes, etc., should be kept separate from other family members. After each use, it's best to sterilize them by scalding with boiling water or boiling.
• Contact: Other family members, especially those who haven't had mumps or haven't been vaccinated, should minimize close contact with the patient. The caregiver should preferably wear a mask.

2. Pay Attention to Diet: Don't Let the Mouth Suffer More

With swollen and painful cheeks, opening the mouth and chewing are major challenges, so special attention must be paid to food.

• [Forbidden]: Do not eat sour, spicy, sweet, or hard foods! For example, oranges, hawthorn, vinegar, chili, fried foods, nuts, etc. These foods stimulate salivary gland secretion, making the pain worse.
• [Recommended]: Choose lukewarm, bland, soft, easy-to-swallow liquid or semi-liquid foods. Such as:
  • Porridge, soft noodles, lotus root starch paste
  • Steamed egg custard, soft tofu, vegetable puree, meat puree
  • Cooled soups
• Drink plenty of water: Drink plenty of warm boiled water to keep the mouth moist and help the body detoxify.

3. Rest is the Best Medicine, and There Are Tricks to Relieve Discomfort

• Bed Rest: Have the patient rest well in bed and reduce activity. Sufficient rest allows the body's resistance to build up, and recovery will be faster.
• Dealing with Fever: Fever is a common symptom. If the temperature doesn't exceed 38.5℃, you can drink more water and use a warm towel to wipe the body for physical cooling. If it exceeds this, you can use antipyretics (like ibuprofen) under a doctor's guidance.
• Pain Relief: If the cheek swelling and pain are severe, you can cold compress with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Apply for 10-15 minutes each time, several times a day, which can effectively reduce pain and swelling. Be careful not to apply heat, as heat can worsen the swelling!

4. Maintain Oral Hygiene to Prevent "Secondary Infection"

Because of mouth pain, one might not want to brush teeth, but oral hygiene is very important.

• After each meal and before bed, rinse the mouth with warm salt water.
• This helps wash away food debris and inhibit bacterial growth, preventing existing oral bacteria from taking advantage and causing other oral infections.

5. Closely Observe the Condition and Watch for Complications

Most mumps cases are self-limiting, meaning they will get better on their own. However, keep an eye out for the following "danger signs," and go to the hospital immediately if they appear:

• Persistent high fever.
• Severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck, lethargy (watch out for meningitis).
• Severe abdominal pain (watch out for pancreatitis).
• If a boy complains of a red, swollen, and painful "testicle," or a girl complains of lower abdominal pain (watch out for orchitis/oophoritis).

In summary, for mumps, it's about "controlling the mouth, limiting movement (for the patient), drinking plenty of water, and observing closely." With scientific care and patience, the body will recover quickly!