What are the symptoms of mumps?

what causes mumps and what are the symptoms of mumps, I have 3 boys and have heard that mumps causes sterility in adulthood if you have it as a child and my brother-in-law is sterile, I heard that he had mumps as a child. Is there a cure for it when you become an adult and how can you prevent it?

Mumps is an infection of exocrine glands by the mumps virus. Target organs for this infection include: the parotid (salivary glands), pancreas (secretes insulin and digestive juices) and the testes (produces sperms and the male sex hormone testosterone). As a result, the symptoms of mumps will include affectation of the functions of the glands involved. They are: swelling of the cheeks/jaw (parotid glands inflammation), dry mouth, signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus may show up (when the pancreas is affected) and male infertility/sterility (affecting the testes). Mumps may occur at any age and the symptomatic manifestation will vary as well. There is no cure for mumps just like most viral infections. But complications such as sterility may be prevented by adequately managing the infection when it occurs. There is no guarantee that those complications will not follow. Adequate management may reduce the severity of the following complications. Management includes bed rest, liberal fluids, vitamin C, and other supportive therapy. Also the MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella) Vaccine shots are preventative in childhood.

Symptoms
Sufferers often have a dry mouth and are feverish with headache and difficulty swallowing. Mumps slowly settles and does not usually cause lasting effects. Sometimes, if you catch it after puberty, mumps will cause swollen, tender, inflamed testicles (mumps orchitis) and may later cause subfertility in a minority of those affected.

Complications:
Swollen, painful testicles 1 in 5 older males
Deafness (usually gets partly or completely better) 1 in 25
Pancreatitis 1 in 30
Meningitis / encephalitis 1 in 200 to 5000

Causes:
Mumps is caused by a virus known as a myxo virus. It is transmitted mainly by infected saliva although the urine also contains virus particles. The saliva is infectious for approximately six days prior to the onset of swelling of the salivary glands in the cheeks (the parotid glands). The individual may be infectious for up to two weeks after the onset of swelling of the glands, but the peak period of infectivity is from a day or two before the onset of the swelling until very shortly after the swelling begins.

Treatment
Usually all that is required is treatment of the symptoms, with paracetamol, regular rinsing of the mouth, and plenty to drink. You should let your doctor know that the child has mumps, but unless unexpected problems arise, your doctor will not necessarily need to see your child.

If an adult develops mumps they should consult the doctor, especially if a male with swollen, painful testicles (orchitis). In these cases cool compresses can be helpful.

Prevention
A vaccine for mumps exists, but there is now a vaccine, which, in the UK, is given at 12 to 15 months, along with vaccines for Measles and German measles. A booster is given before starting school. This vaccine is known as MMR.

Actually having the disease confers lifelong immunity, and the vaccine is supposed to have a similar effect. If the worldwide uptake of any vaccine is high enough, the actual disease can be eradicated eg Smallpox.

probably junk food, sugar, meat, too much dairy food & yeast bread.
fresh natural food can probably prevent it
my family and i take oliveleaf extract as a preventative for everything
also we like frequensea

Please note that I'm not a doctor. If your children has all of their shots than I wouldn't worry about it. Yes I always heard if a male child jumps around a lot when they have the mumps they can drop to the testicles and make him sterile. You are swollen really bad under you ears. An old wives tale says to give them a bite of a pickle and if they really do have the mumps it will hurt their jaws.