It belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It has a negative single strand RNA, an envelope with neuraminidase, hemagglutinin and another glycoprotein, F, for lipid membrane fusion to the host cell. The highest occurrence is between 5 - 15 years of age. Organisms enter through the respiratory tract, replicate, then spread to other areas causing cell necrosis and inflammation. The incubation period is about 16 days .
Symptoms -Fever, then swelling and tenderness of salivary glands and sometimes testes.
Tissue damage is not severe or permanent except for a few cases, in the testes. Treatment - No specific drug is required. A live attenuated vaccine is available for infants after one year and adults who have not had the disease during childhood. Humans are the only host. Herpes Simplex Herpes simplex belongs to the Herpesviridae family.