Parotid gland
Mumps is seen to be a common cause of parotid gland swelling - 85% of cases occur in children younger than 15 years. The disease is highly contagious and spreads by airborne droplets from salivary, nasal, and urinary secretions. Symptoms include oedema in the area, trismus as well as otalgia. The lesion tends to begin on one side of the face and eventually becomes bilateral. The transmission of the paramyxovirus is by contact with the infected persons saliva. Initial symptoms tend to be a headache and fever. Mumps is not fatal, however further complications can include swelling of the ovaries or the testes. Diagnosis of mumps is confirmed through viral serology, management of the condition includes hydration and good oral hygiene of the patient requiring excellent motivation. However, since the development of the mumps vaccine, given at the age of between 4–6 years, the incidence of this viral infection has greatly reduced. This vaccine has reduced the incidence by 99%.
Prenatal development
If a mother is infected with a disease, the placenta cannot always filter out pathogens. Viruses such as rubella, chicken pox, mumps, herpes, and human immunodeficiency (HIV) are associated with increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and prematurity, physical malformations, and intellectual disabilities. The human immunodeficiency virus can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Untreated HIV infected expectant mothers pass the virus to their developing offspring between 10 and 20 percent of the time. . Expectant mothers infected with bacterial or parasitic diseases may also pass the diseases on to the fetus. Examples of diseases include chlamydia, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, and toxoplasmosis. One of the most common of these diseases is toxoplasmosis. A pregnant female may become infected through contact with contaminated soil, such as through gardening, eating raw or undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables or fruits, or contact with the feces of infected cats. If the exposure occurs during the first trimester, eye and brain damage may result. Exposure later in pregnancy may result in mild visual and cognitive impairments.