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%.
ACAM2000
Smallpox works in the following way:"Smallpox spreads from one person to another by infected saliva droplets. The incubation period is 7 to 17 days. The symptoms begin with severe headache, backache, and fever up to 40 °C, all beginning abruptly. Then a rash appears on the face and spreads, the spots become watery blisters containing pus that form scabs and leave pitted scars when they fall off. The infected person is contagious until the last smallpox scab has fallen off, although most of the transmission occurs in the first week. Most people with smallpox recover, but some do die and the risk depends on the strain of virus." In 1980, the World Health Organization certified that the naturally occurring smallpox disease was eradicated. According to the FDA, "Until ACAM2000 was licensed, Dryvax, manufactured by Wyeth Laboratories, Inc., was the only vaccine licensed by FDA. Routine vaccination of the American public was stopped in 1972 after the disease was eradicated from the United States. However, smallpox has the potential to be deliberately used as a weapon by terrorists. A large proportion of the population has no immunity and fatality rates could be higher than 25% if smallpox were to be released as a bioterrorist weapon."