MMR Vaccine
The best way to prevent catching mumps is to be immunised with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Advice for children
The MMR vaccine is part of the routine childhood immunisation programme, with one dose given to a child at around 13 months of age, and a second booster dose given before your child starts school, usually between 3-5 years of age.
Contact your GP if you are uncertain about whether your child’s vaccinations are up-to-date.
Advice for adults
The MMR vaccine can be given at any age, so there may be circumstances where you are advised to have the MMR vaccine.
For example, if you were born between 1980-1990, you may not be protected against mumps, and it is unlikely that you will have been previously exposed to a mumps infection, so vaccination may be recommended
If you were born before 1979, it is unlikely that you have been vaccinated against mumps. While it is likely that you will have been previously exposed to mumps, vaccination may be recommended if you have a high risk of exposure to mumps.
Factors that can increase your risk of exposure to mumps include:
- living, or working, in environments that contain a high number of young people living in close contact, such as a college, university, or army base, and
- being a healthcare worker.
You also have a higher risk of exposure if you are travelling to a part of the world that does not offer routine vaccination against mumps such as:
- most of Africa, with the exception of Egypt and Libya,
- Pakistan,
- India,
- Japan, and
- south east Asia.
