Parotitis primary prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Luke Rusowicz-Orazem, B.S.

Overview

Effective preventative measures for parotitis include the mumps vaccine, maintaining personal hygiene and limiting proximal contact with mumps or staphyloccocus aureus infected individuals, limiting sexual contact with HIV-infected individuals and using condoms during sexual intercourse, and the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine to prevent extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Preventative measures for obstruction-based parotitis include reducing risk factors for salivary gland stones and parotid gland neoplasia.

Administering the mumps vaccine
- 78% effective at a single dose; 88% effective with two doses administered with at least 28 days in between.^[1]
Personal hygiene and limiting contact exposure:^[2]
- Washing hands frequently.
- Avoiding fluid transmission with mumps patients.
- Avoiding respiratory droplets from coughing mumps patients.
Limiting contact with children between 9 months and 15 years old.^[1]
Limiting sexual contact with HIV-infected individuals and using condoms.^[3]
Administering the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine to prevent tuberculosis.^[4]

Reducing risk factors associated with salivary gland stones or neoplasia:
- Limiting alcohol consumption.
- Reducing tobacco consumption and smoking.
- Avoiding harmful inhalants, such as pesticides.