Simplified Chinese
From mumps to deafness, what caused him lifelong regret?
Release date:
2025-01-03
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Abstract
A few days ago, a deaf-mute elderly man living near our community passed away. It is said that in his childhood he was bright and quick-witted, but a bout of mumps left him withdrawn and taciturn, eventually rendering him deaf and mute. For this reason, he spent his entire life in a world of silence, rarely interacting with those around him, and ultimately died alone. His passing has left people shaking their heads in sorrow.
Next, let’s discuss the severity of mumps and methods of immunoprophylaxis.
Do you still remember the “mumps” from your childhood?
When it comes to “mumps,” many people may not be familiar with it, but in the 1960s it was a common infectious disease. It was quite frequent to see individuals with one or both cheeks swollen, creating a vivid image of someone “puffing up their face to look bigger.”
To treat the condition, a large, dark ointment is typically applied to the swollen parotid gland—unsightly and unpleasant-smelling. Severe cases of mumps often leave lasting complications. As a result, parents search far and wide for folk remedies, but these frequently prove ineffective or delay proper treatment.
Let’s take a look at what netizens have shared about mumps.
Applying toad skin to treat toad plague.
Shared by: Y Stranded Fish
Some people may not know what “toad fever” is—it refers to the mumps vaccine administered to eight-month-old children as part of the routine childhood immunization schedule.
When I was a child—around primary school age—many of my peers got it, and so did I. Some ended up with both cheeks swollen, while others had just one side puffed up; I was the former.
As far as I can recall, it’s not a serious illness; I haven’t seen anyone with very severe symptoms (at least among the patients I’ve encountered). Many people get better after a few days of medication, while those with more pronounced cases simply need an IV drip.
Back in my hometown, I once heard some folk remedy—apparently, applying toad skin to the face could cure this ailment. It was that ugly, warty kind of toad (looking back now, it really was absurd—and kind of funny). So my mom caught a toad, tied it up with a string in the yard, and got ready to peel its skin off and apply it to my face.
Luckily, I’m one of those who recovers pretty quickly—thank goodness I didn’t have to put toad‑skin mask on my face. What a relief; otherwise, it would’ve been really gross.
In the end, that poor little toad was completely forgotten because it had no place to shine. By the time my friends and I went to play, we found it had truly turned into a dried-up toad skin.
Mumps may seem minor, but its complications can be serious. This used to occur frequently before the widespread use of the mumps vaccine, often resulting in irreversible consequences. The elderly man we mentioned at the outset became deaf due to complications arising from mumps.
Epidemic parotitis, commonly referred to as “mumps,” is known in traditional Chinese medicine as “zha sai.” It is a non-suppurative inflammation of the parotid glands caused by infection with the mumps virus.
Because the parotid glands are located on both sides of the cheeks near the earlobes, enlargement of these glands can cause swelling of the lips, a condition commonly referred to in folk tradition as “big mouth.” In some cases, the swelling may be so severe that it gives the face a resemblance to a pig’s head, leading to the expression “pig‑head fat.”
Mumps is an infectious disease with a long history, having been widespread worldwide as early as the 18th century. Currently, mumps cases are reported in all provinces and municipalities across China. According to statistics, in 2018, among the 1,702 reported public health emergencies nationwide, mumps accounted for 239 cases, ranking second; in 2019, with 2,135 reported public health emergencies, mumps cases numbered 260, placing it third.
During the first 3 to 5 days of illness, patients with mumps may experience systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Following onset, the primary manifestations include swelling and distending pain of one or both parotid glands, with a firm yet elastic consistency and localized warmth without erythema. The enlarged parotid glands typically assume a hemispherical shape, with poorly defined borders centered on the earlobe; the surface is warm, and patients experience localized pain upon opening the mouth or during eating.
Parotid swelling is most pronounced 1 to 3 days after onset, then gradually subsides, with complete resolution of the swelling occurring in approximately two weeks.
The most serious threat posed by mumps is its complications. Severe mumps often leads to complications involving the nervous and reproductive systems, resulting in sequelae such as deafness, intellectual disability, infertility, and myocarditis. 。 Pregnant women Infection with the mumps virus during early pregnancy can also increase the risk of fetal developmental abnormalities, congenital malformations, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
Mumps is most common among adolescents and children under 15, with the 5–9 age group being the primary affected population.
Mumps primarily occurs in settings where people congregate, such as kindergartens, schools, and military barracks. There are two annual peaks of incidence—April to July and October to January of the following year—and these peaks coincide with children entering childcare and students starting school, making this period particularly prone to mumps outbreaks. Consequently, institutions like kindergartens and schools should… When children enroll in daycare or school, their vaccination records are checked, and children who have missed vaccinations are required to receive the missing doses promptly. 。
Mumps can also infect adults, and when it does, the symptoms are often more severe.
There is no specific cure for mumps; after onset, treatment is primarily antiviral and symptomatic, including clearing heat and detoxifying, preventing infection, and managing complications affecting other systems.
With no other complications, recovery typically takes about 1 to 2 weeks. During the illness, proper isolation is essential to prevent transmission to others.
The continuously upgraded National Immunization Program
Mumps is a respiratory disease that spreads via respiratory droplets, close contact, and mother-to-child transmission. Patients with mumps, asymptomatic carriers, and individuals in the incubation period are all sources of infection; its insidious nature makes it difficult to detect, rendering prevention challenging.
Getting vaccinated against mumps, or receiving a combination vaccine that includes the mumps component, is the simplest and most effective approach.
In addition, everyday preventive measures include wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, washing hands frequently, and ensuring adequate ventilation.
To prevent and control the occurrence of mumps, China has been implementing, effective July 1, 2008, The measles–mumps–rubella vaccine (MMR vaccine) has been incorporated into the national immunization program.
Because at that time, the MMR vaccine was in short supply, Immunization schedule during the transition period using vaccines containing the measles component. . The vaccination procedure is as follows:
One dose administered at 8 months of age. Leprosy vaccine For the insufficient supply of leprosy vaccine, measles vaccine will continue to be used. One dose is administered at 18–24 months of age. MMR vaccine For the portion of the MMR vaccine that is in short supply, the MMR vaccine may be used as a substitute; for the remaining shortfall, the measles vaccine should continue to be administered.
Since a single dose of a mumps-containing vaccine is insufficient to confer long-lasting, effective protection, therefore in… On June 1, 2020, China incorporated the two-dose MMR (measles‑mumps‑rubella) vaccine into its routine immunization program. , two doses are administered free of charge—one dose at 8 months of age and one at 18 months of age. Compared with the previous single-dose MMR vaccine, administering two doses of a measles-containing vaccine can provide better protective efficacy. 。
The continuous enhancement of the immunization program also reflects the nation’s sincere commitment to safeguarding our country’s children. With free vaccines, we have unwittingly kept potentially severe infectious diseases at bay.
However, since the booster shot now requires two doses of the MMR vaccine, parents who have been thoroughly worn down by the vaccination process can’t help but ask: Wouldn’t one dose suffice?
I’ve only received one dose—do I need to get a second dose?
As indicated by the National Immunization Program, only children who have reached 8 months of age on or after June 1, 2020, are eligible to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine; these children would have been born on or after October 1, 2019.
Therefore, children born before October 1, 2019, who received only the measles–rubella vaccine (not the measles–mumps–rubella vaccine, which does not contain the mumps component) at 8 months of age, and only one dose of the measles–mumps–rubella vaccine at 18 months of age, are missing a dose of the mumps-containing vaccine and thus face an increased risk of contracting the mumps virus.
Following the introduction of a single-dose vaccine containing mumps antigen in China in 2008, there was no significant decline in the incidence of mumps.
Following the implementation of routine measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccination among 6-year-old, 5-year-old, and 4-year-old children in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, respectively, in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the reported incidence of mumps in these three cities exhibited a marked downward trend.
Therefore, Two doses of the mumps vaccine (or a combination vaccine containing the mumps component) are required to effectively prevent mumps. The WHO position paper also recommends completing a two-dose vaccination schedule to provide long-term immune protection.
Parents are advised to locate their child’s vaccination record and verify the number of doses of vaccines containing the mumps component that have been administered. If only one dose has been administered, please promptly visit a vaccination clinic to receive the missing mumps vaccine dose, ensuring your child completes the full two-dose immunization schedule.
How should the mumps vaccine be administered as a booster?
The protective efficacy of the mumps vaccine remains relatively high during the first four years after vaccination, but declines rapidly by the fifth year.
Therefore, if only one dose was administered previously, Around the age of five, a booster dose of attenuated live mumps vaccine, or a combination vaccine containing the mumps component, may be administered. 。
Complete vaccination no later than before the child enters primary school to ensure effective protection.
These cities offer free administration of the third dose of the MMR vaccine.
If your child was vaccinated in Beijing, Tianjin, or Shanghai according to the pre‑adjustment immunization schedule, they will still be eligible for one free dose of the MMR vaccine (measles–mumps–rubella) after the schedule has been revised. For specific details, please consult your local vaccination clinic.
Children aged six in Beijing and Shanghai are eligible for a free third dose of the MMR vaccine.
In Tianjin, 5-year-old children can receive the third dose of the MMR vaccine free of charge.
No one knows whether illness or accident will strike first; getting vaccinated is like racing against the virus. The earlier you get vaccinated, the sooner you can protect yourself, and only by completing the full vaccination schedule as prescribed can you achieve the best preventive effect.
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