Resource: Mumps

Mumps is an acute illness caused by the mumps virus. Symptoms include fever, ear or jaw pain, headache, body aches, fatigue, loss of appetite and swelling of the salivary glands. The parotid salivary glands (located within your cheek near your jaw line, below your ears) are most frequently affected.

Although complications are rare, mumps can cause:

• inflammation of the brain and/or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord (encephalitis/meningitis)
• inflammation of the testicles (orchitis)
• inflammation of the ovaries and/or breasts (oophoritis and mastitis)
• spontaneous abortion
• deafness, usually permanent

The mumps virus is spread through direct contact with respiratory secretions or saliva. An infected person can transmit mumps to others from three (3) days before symptoms appear to about nine (9) days after symptoms appear. The incubation time (period from exposure to virus to the onset of symptoms) varies from two to three weeks.

Diagnosis is made by a health care provider who may order lab testing to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment consists of rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain relievers. This disease can be prevented through the administration of two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Additional information on the MMR vaccine is available at the Centers for Disease Control website.