Site Map

Mumps

Epidemic parotitis; Viral parotitis; Parotitis

Mumps is a contagious disease that leads to painful swelling of the salivary glands. The salivary glands produce saliva, a liquid that moistens food and helps you chew and swallow.

Images

Mumps
Head and neck glands

I Would Like to Learn About:

Causes

Mumps is caused by a virus. The virus spreads from person to person by drops of moisture from the nose and mouth, such as through sneezing. It is also spread through direct contact with items that have infected saliva on them.

Mumps most often occurs in children ages 2 through 12 who have not been vaccinated against the disease. However, the infection can occur at any age and may also be seen in college age students.

The time between being exposed to the virus and getting sick (incubation period) is about 12 to 25 days.

Mumps may also infect the:

Symptoms

Symptoms of mumps may include:

Other symptoms that can occur in males are:

Exams and Tests

Your health care provider will perform an exam and ask about your symptoms, especially when they started.

No tests are needed in most cases. Your provider can usually diagnose mumps by looking at your symptoms.

Blood tests may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for mumps. The following things can be done to relieve symptoms:

Outlook (Prognosis)

People with this disease do well most of the time, even if organs other than the salivary glands are involved. After the illness is over (usually in about 7 days), they'll acquire immunity to mumps for the rest of their life.

Possible Complications

Infection of other organs may occur, including testicle swelling (orchitis).

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your provider if you or your child has mumps along with:

Call 911 or the local emergency number or visit the emergency room if seizures occur.

Prevention

MMR immunization (vaccine) protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. It should be given to children at these ages:

Adults can also receive the vaccine. Talk to your provider about this.

Recent outbreaks of the mumps have supported the importance of having all children vaccinated.

Related Information

Acute
Testes
Central nervous system

References

Gans HA. Mumps. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 295.

Litman N, Baum SG. Mumps virus. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 157.

Rosen JB, Zucker JR. Mumps. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 340.

BACK TO TOP

Review Date: 4/17/2024  

Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

ADAM Quality Logo
Health Content Provider
06/01/2025

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics. This site complied with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information from 1995 to 2022, after which HON (Health On the Net, a not-for-profit organization that promoted transparent and reliable health information online) was discontinued.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2024 A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.