Symptoms include swollen salivary glands on both sides of the face, muscle ache and weakness.

Symptoms include swollen salivary glands on both sides of the face, muscle ache and weakness.

• A. Diphtheria
• B. Mumps
• C. Measles
• D. Chicken pox

Answer: (B)

A key sign here is swelling of the salivary (parotid) glands near the jaw, often on both sides. That bilateral parotitis is classic for mumps, a viral illness that also causes fever, malaise, and muscle aches. Diphtheria would focus more on a sore throat with a thick gray membrane in the throat and neck swelling, not salivary gland swelling. Measles starts with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed by a characteristic rash, not prominent salivary gland swelling. Chicken pox features an itchy vesicular rash that appears in crops, not swollen salivary glands. So the combination of swollen salivary glands on both sides plus muscle ache fits mumps best.

A key sign here is swelling of the salivary (parotid) glands near the jaw, often on both sides. That bilateral parotitis is classic for mumps, a viral illness that also causes fever, malaise, and muscle aches.

Diphtheria would focus more on a sore throat with a thick gray membrane in the throat and neck swelling, not salivary gland swelling. Measles starts with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed by a characteristic rash, not prominent salivary gland swelling. Chicken pox features an itchy vesicular rash that appears in crops, not swollen salivary glands.

So the combination of swollen salivary glands on both sides plus muscle ache fits mumps best.