Mumps is a viral disease that causes painful swelling of the salivary glands along the side of one or both cheeks. The swelling lasts at least 9 days after the first sign of tenderness. Other symptoms include:
The fever usually goes away in 3 to 5 days. The other symptoms usually disappear within 7 to 10 days.
The disease spreads when someone with mumps sneezes, coughs, or talks, and others breathe in the infected droplets. Keep away from anyone who has not had the mumps, or who has not had the vaccination. The person with mumps can spread it to someone else 1 to 2 days before the swelling begins and for 5 days after the swelling is gone. Symptoms appear between 12 and 25 days after exposure.
Children should receive the measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, vaccine. The MMR vaccine is given in a series of 2 shots. The first is given between 12 and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. Children or adults who have not had mumps or been vaccinated should contact their provider.
To help relieve symptoms, To help relieve symptoms, it is best to get plenty of rest and drink extra fluids. Avoid citrus juice as it may cause pain. Putting a cold or warm cloth on the swollen glands and eating soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow may help. Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen to control fever. Children under 18 years of age should not take aspirin or products containing salicylate (such as Pepto-Bismol) because of the risk of Reye's syndrome unless recommended by a health care provider.
Mumps can be very serious, especially for teenagers and adults. More serious cases may result in inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Permanent hearing loss can occur. Call your health care provider if if there are other symptoms such as:
For more information, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their National Immunization Information Hotline number is (800) 232-2522 for English, or (800) 232-0233 for Spanish. Visit their Internet Web site at www.cdc.gov.
Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
HIA File CHL3737F.HTM Release 9.0/2006
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