Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection that usually affects children. The most common symptom of mumps is a swelling of the parotid glands.
The parotid glands are located on one side, or both sides, of the face. The swelling gives a person a distinctive ‘hamster face’ appearance.
Once a person has had mumps, they will usually develop immunity against further infections.
How common are mumps?
Before the introduction of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in 1988, mumps was a common childhood infection that was responsible for 1,200 hospital admissions a year in England and Wales.
After the MMR vaccine was introduced as part of the routine childhood vaccination programme, the number of mumps cases fell sharply, with less than a 100 cases reported in 1996.
However, in recent years, there has been an upsurge in the incidence of mumps, and in 2005, there was a mumps epidemic that resulted in over 43,000 cases in England and Wales. Most cases affected teenagers and young adults.
It is thought that the recent mumps epidemic was due to people in this age group not receiving the MMR vaccination, but also not having a natural immunity to mumps due to not having previously been infected. Another contributory factor is that some parents have chosen not to let their child have the MMR vaccine.
How is the mumps spread?
The mumps virus is spread in the same way that the common cold and the flu viruses are spread. The mumps virus is airborne which means that it can survive for a short period of time in the outside environment. Therefore, mumps can be spread through:
- direct contact - for example, if you sneeze, or cough, tiny droplets of fluid containing the mumps virus are launched into the air and can be breathed by others, and
- indirect contact - for example, if infected droplets are transferred to an object, such as a door handle, and someone else touches it, they may catch the mumps if they then touch their mouth or nose.
The most effective way to prevent catching mumps is to have the MMR vaccine, which is thought to be 95% effective in providing protection against the mumps. See the ‘prevention’ section for more information.
Mumps is contagious
Mumps is a highly contagious infection, and people who are infected are most contagious for 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and for five days afterwards.
During this time, it is important to prevent spreading the infection to others, particularly those with a high risk of developing complications such as:
- teenagers and young adults who have not been vaccinated, and
- pregnant women.
Outlook
The outlook for young children with mumps is generally good because the symptoms should pass within two weeks without causing any long-term problems.
The outlook for teenagers and adults with mumps is slightly less positive because they have a higher risk of developing complications, some of which can be serious.
Complications of mumps include:
- painful swelling of the testicles (in boys and men),
- secondary infection of the membranes of the brain (meningitis), or the brain itself (encephalitis), and
- hearing loss.
As there is currently no cure for mumps, treatment is aimed at providing relief from the symptoms and preventing the further spread of infection.
