What's the social ettiquette with...

[Lowryn]

MUMPS!
My 2 year old DD has got Mumps, bless her mumpy little chops. She had a temperature which has gone now and one side of her face looks like she is storing food like a Hamster!
She is not off her food and has the same get up and go as she normally has. As she can't go to nursery she is climbing the walls with unspent energy.
Since she is contagious, should I keep her at home, or is it acceptable to take her out with me...Is going round Tescos okay, but maybe going to the library not...?
I won't be taking her swimming or to playgroup (obviously) but will people back away in horror and scream if I take the mumpy one out in public?

Sorry if this seems like a daft post, but I was always kept in my bedroom when I was poorly as a child and have no idea how my parents achieved this! I must have been a very obedient child, or very poorly!

I would keep her indoors - not sure how close you have to get5 to catch mumps but IMHO taking a kid out with a contageous illness is having no regard for the rest of the community - I.E. If I caught it being pregnant it could be a problem, I would have to have time off of work, DD would probably catch it and have to have time off school and DP would have to have time off work to look after us or if he caught it himself and lets hope that I don't have a new baby who has not been immunised or an old pensioner or someone with a lowered immune system living with us for whom mumps could be serious.

Do your shopping on line and throw in some baking stuff and new books and stuff like that to keep her amused and let us doing our shopping in peace!!

I'm afraid you will have to keep her in, unless you take her out for a walk on an open heath... No no for swings in the park etc. or Tesco's!! It is contagious and can cause real infertility problems with boys and men and because of all the MMR scares, the liklihood of other children not having been immunised is high. I think kite flying will be your only exercise for now!!

Thanks, I have a 16 weeks old son too and was concerned for him, but the attitude I have got from Drs and nurses has been. "Mumps? Bah! Least harmful childhood disease going. Don't you know 1 in 3 people have had it and not even noticed!"
I had to take DS to get his jabs today and was worried that it was not a good idea since he might catch the mumps and the nurse treated me like I was neurotic!
Off to go an paint a red cross on my door [grin}

Duh, I meant

Keep her in I'm afraid. It's not only a risk to other kids that haven't yet had MMR but also pregnant women, especially in the early stages. Also thank you've just reminded me to make an appointment for my dd to get her MMR.

It's only five days from the development of the illness when she is likely to be infectious so your quarantine will be over very soon - how long has she been ill? I suppose you could take her to the park when it is very quiet but not let her play with other children unless they have been immunised. BTW, it's hard to catch mumps - you need close contact with saliva.
Mumps is not a very serious illness. It can't cause sterility in children, and even in grown men there is some doubt that it can cause permanent sterility and if it does, then it is incredibly unlikely. My son hasn't been vaccinated as the gvmt is blocking importation of the mumps vaccine, but I wouldn't be very concerned if he got it. The one in three statistic is correct btw. But of course, other people do have the right not to be exposed to any illness, though it doesn't seem to stop drugs manufacturers making TV ads saying you are a wimp if you don't go into work with flu!

It's only five days from the development of the illness when she is likely to be infectious so your quarantine will be over very soon - how long has she been ill? I suppose you could take her to the park when it is very quiet but not let her play with other children unless they have been immunised. BTW, it's hard to catch mumps - you need close contact with saliva.
Mumps is not a very serious illness. It can't cause sterility in children, and even in grown men there is some doubt that it can cause permanent sterility and if it does, then it is incredibly unlikely. My son hasn't been vaccinated as the gvmt is blocking importation of the mumps vaccine, but I wouldn't be very concerned if he got it. The one in three statistic is correct btw. But of course, other people do have the right not to be exposed to any illness, though it doesn't seem to stop drugs manufacturers making TV ads saying you are a wimp if you don't go into work with flu!

At the risk of re-igniting the MMR debate. Mumps was the major cause of viral meningitis before the introduction of MMR. If your child is contageous it is , IMHO, the 'done thing' to keep them isolated, unless people know the risk of infection and want to take it.

I'h happy for people to choose not to vaccinate. However give people the choice not to get it in their unvaccinated children (ie those too small to have had the full set of jabs/those who cannot have the vaccinations for medical reasons).

As it happens, I haven't chosen to keep my son child unvaccinated, the gvmt has made that decision for me, sadly, and for its own political reasons.
Viral menigitis is very different to bacterial menigitis of course.

meningitis, that is.

Yes it is, which is why I was accurate. It can, however, lead to deafness and other probelms.

I'm all for choice. In all it's forms. However that does include the choice to avoid getting these conditions for your child. Letting a contagous child out in contact with those who are not vaccinated (for whatever reason) will take that choice away from the parents. It also takes away the 'choice' from those children who have been vaccinated, but lack the full cover, who depend on Herd Immunity to protect them.

If people make the choice to not get children vaccinated I think they do need to be responsible and not spread the condition to others, unless those others know and accept that on their child's behalf.

Just out of interest. DD was given the MMR jab and I (stupidly) thought that she would now be immune to Measles and Mumps. I know that the rubella immunity is not permanent.

We have already had someone say to DH, well thats your fault for not having the MMR!

I never meant for you to read that into my comments. It is a well recognised fact that some children will not get cover even if they are vaccinated.....just one of those things. In the past these children would be very unlikley to get the condition because the vast majority of children were vaccinated and therefore the 'unprotected' child would be very unlikley to come in contact with the virus and get the condition.

I think that the advice still stands tho, keep dd in until no longet contageous to stop it spreading further. Hope she feels better soon.

Definitely keep her in. Forgetting about unprotected children, there are lots of people out there with compromised immune systems so it's simply not fair to take a contagious child out and about if you can avoid it.

Agree with Soupy.

Thanks everyone, only positive info taken from your advise hmb, I don't mean to link the stupid comment from DH's dumb colleague with your post, it was all very helpful and I have the perfect excuse to DH to have done nothing all week!

• Sorry dear, if you want something done, best look after DD (gasp) or do it yourself! Ha!

Keep her in! Dh was 36 when he caught mumps from a child at an Xmas party. He was very poorly indeed even though he is not usually given to complaining.

I remember clearly having mumps at the same time as my bro. My grandpa was looking after us when mum was at the shops and she was horrified to find bro and me making mudpies in the garden when she got home. "BACK TO BED, YOU TWO!" was her response.