What you need to know about mumps
Mumps is a contagious viral infection that used to be common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.
If your child has swelling on one or both sides of their face, they could have mumps.
Mumps is caused by a virus, specifically a type of Rubulavirus in the Paramyxovirus family. Before the vaccine was widely introduced in 1967, nearly every child would become infected. Although cases have declined more than 99 percent since then, outbreaks do still occasionally occur.
Signs and symptoms of mumps
The classic symptom of mumps is swollen salivary glands, which causes puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw that can make it difficult to eat. Other symptoms, which last seven to 10 days, may include a fever, fatigue, and head and muscle aches.
Some people – possibly as many as 40 percent of those infected – may have only very mild symptoms (if they have any at all), and therefore might not realise they have the disease. Still, they may be able to spread the virus to others.
Symptoms can appear between 12 and 25 days after the initial infection, but people usually begin experiencing them 16-18 days after they have been infected.
Is mumps serious?
Although most children recover completely in a few weeks, sometimes serious complications of mumps can occur, especially in adults.
Men and adolescent boys can develop mumps infection of the testicles that results in testicular pain and swelling, which can cause sterility. Other types of inflammation associated with the disease include meningitis (which affects the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord) and encephalitis (which affects the brain itself). Rarely, these conditions can lead to permanent loss of hearing, disability, or even death.
How is mumps spread?
The virus that causes mumps is spread in the saliva or mucus of those infected. This commonly occurs through coughing, sneezing, or talking, but can also happen when people share items like drinking glasses that come into contact with saliva. Those infected are contagious from two to five days before symptoms begin until about five days after.
Can mumps be prevented?
All children should be immunised with the MMR vaccine, which protects against mumps, as well as measles and rubella. Study after study has shown that vaccines, including the one for mumps, are safe and are not linked to autism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get two doses of MMR vaccine, once when they are between 12 and 15 months old and again when they are four to six years old. Older children, adolescents, and adults who did not receive the full series as a child should also be vaccinated unless they have a condition – like pregnancy or a weakened immune system – that prevents it.
Those at increased risk, such as international travellers, healthcare workers, and college students, should receive two doses of the vaccine if they are not known to be otherwise immune.
