Infectious Diseases Infectious Disease Basics

Mumps

Mumps is a viral disease that causes swelling of the parotid glands (glands that produce saliva in the mouth).

Before a vaccine became widely available in the United States in 1967, mumps was considered a routine childhood disease and more than 200,000 cases were reported each year. Today, there are only a few hundred cases reported each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, mumps still occurs more often in countries where the vaccine is not in wide use.  

Mumps is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through contact with infected objects such as utensils and drinking glasses. It usually begins with a general sick feeling (malaise), fever, chills and a sore throat, followed by swelling of the parotid glands that causes the cheeks to puff out.

Mumps is usually diagnosed during a physical examination. Physicians can normally diagnose it by the symptoms experienced, but sometimes a viral culture or blood test is performed to confirm a diagnosis.

There is no cure for the mumps virus, but patients can relieve symptoms by using over–the–counter pain relievers, warm or cold compresses and drinking plenty of fluids.

The best way to prevent mumps is to receive the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. It is recommended that children receive a first dose of the vaccine between 12 to 15 months of age and another dose before entering school (between 3 and 6 years of age).

About mumps
Mumps is a contagious disease caused by a virus that results in swelling of the parotid glands (glands located below and in front of the ears that produce saliva in the mouth).

It is considered to be as contagious as influenza and rubella (German measles), but less contagious than measles or varicella (chickenpox). It occurs throughout the year, but is most common in late winter or early spring. Most cases occur in children ages 5 to 15, although infection is possible at any age and cases among adults are usually more severe than those involving children. Children under age 2 rarely develop mumps.

An infected person passes the mumps virus through droplets in their breath or mucus or by transmitting it through objects. After the virus enters the body, it grows in the nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose) and lymph nodes. It can spread through the bloodstream to tissues in the body such as the meninges (membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), pancreas, testes and ovaries.

Mumps usually begins with a general sick feeling (malaise), fever, chills and a sore throat, followed by swelling of the parotid glands that causes the cheeks to puff out.

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