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Mumps

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Mumps is a contagious viral infection that used to be common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.

It’s most recognisable by the painful swellings at the side of the face under the ears (the parotid glands), giving a child with mumps a distinctive “hamster face” appearance.

Other symptoms of mumps include headaches, joint pain and a high temperature, which may develop a few days before the swelling of the parotid glands.

How mumps is spread
Mumps is spread in the same way as colds and flu – through infected droplets of saliva that can be inhaled or picked up from surfaces and transferred into the mouth or nose.
A child is most contagious a few days before the symptoms develop and for a few days afterwards.
During this time, it’s important to prevent the infection spreading to others, particularly those who haven’t been vaccinated.
If your child has mumps, you can help prevent it spreading by:

  • Encouraging your child to regularly wash their hands with soap
  • Ensuring your child uses and disposes of tissues when they sneeze
  • Keeping your child off school for at least five days after your child first develops symptoms

Preventing mumps

You can protect your child against mumps by making sure they’re given the combined MMR vaccine (for mumps, measles and rubella).

The MMR vaccine is part of the routine NHS childhood immunisation schedule. Your child should be given one dose when they are around 12-13 months and a second booster dose before they start school. Once both doses are given, the vaccine provides 95% protection against mumps.

Treatment for mumps
There’s currently no cure for mumps, but the infection should pass within one or two weeks.
Treatment is used to relieve symptoms and includes:

  • Getting plenty of bed rest and fluids
  • Using painkillers, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol – aspirin shouldn’t be given to children under 16
  • Applying a warm or cool compress to the swollen glands to help relieve pain

Complications
Mumps usually passes without causing serious damage to a child’s health. Serious complications are rare.
However, mumps can lead to viral meningitis if the virus moves into the outer layer of the brain. Other complications include swelling of the testicles in males or the ovaries in females (if the affected male or female has gone through puberty).

Who is affected
Most cases of mumps occur in young adults who didn’t receive the MMR vaccine as part of their childhood vaccination schedule or didn’t have mumps as a child. Once you’ve been infected by the mumps virus, you normally develop a life-long immunity to further infection.

When to see your GP
It’s important to contact your GP if you suspect your child has mumps so a diagnosis can be made. While mumps isn’t usually serious, the condition has similar symptoms to more serious types of infection, such as glandular fever and tonsillitis.
Your GP can usually make a diagnosis after seeing and feeling the swelling, looking at the position of the tonsils in the mouth and checking your child’s temperature to see if it’s higher than normal.
Let your GP know in advance if you’re coming to the surgery, so they can take any necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection.

Visit the NHS website to find out how you can keep your family safe from mumps.