When to see a GP

It's important to contact a GP if you suspect mumps so a diagnosis can be made. 

While mumps is not usually serious, the condition has similar symptoms to more serious types of infection, such as glandular fever and tonsillitis.

The GP can usually make a diagnosis after seeing and feeling the swelling, looking at the position of the tonsils in the mouth and checking the person'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.

If your GP suspects mumps, they should notify your local health protection team (HPT). The HPT will arrange for a sample of saliva to be tested to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.

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 person 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 teenagers and young adults who have not been vaccinated.

If you have mumps, you can help prevent it spreading by:

• regularly washing your hands with soap
• using and disposing of tissues when you sneeze
• avoiding school or work for at least 5 days after your symptoms first develop

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 1 dose when they are around 12-13 months and a second booster dose at 3 years and 4 months.

Once both doses are given, the vaccine provides around 88% protection against mumps.

Anyone who did not have both doses of the MMR vaccine as a child can contact a GP to arrange to be vaccinated.

Treatment for mumps

There's currently no cure for mumps, but the infection should pass within 1 or 2 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 person'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 or ovaries (if the affected person has gone through puberty).

Who is affected

Most cases of mumps occur in young adults (usually born between who didn't receive the MMR vaccine as part of their childhood vaccination schedule or did not have mumps as a child.

Older adults who were born in the UK before the vaccine was introduced are likely to have had mumps as a child. Once you have been infected by the mumps virus, you normally develop a life-long immunity to further infection.

The MMR vaccine was introduced in 1988. Adults born between 1980 and 1990 may not have been vaccinated as children, and are less likely than older adults to have had mumps as a child.

Mumps is currently most common among people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s who missed out on the MMR vaccine as children.

When to seek medical advice

If you suspect mumps, it's important to call your GP.

While the infection isn't usually serious, mumps has similar symptoms to other, more serious infections, such as glandular fever and tonsillitis. It's always best to visit your GP so they can confirm (or rule out) a diagnosis of mumps.

It's also important to let your GP know in advance if you're coming to the surgery so they can take any necessary precautions to avoid the spread of infection.

How mumps is spread

Mumps is an airborne virus and can be spread by:

• an infected person coughing or sneezing and releasing tiny droplets of contaminated saliva, which can then be breathed in by another person
• an infected person touching their nose or mouth, then transferring the virus onto an object, such as a door handle, or work surface; if someone else touches the object shortly afterwards, they can transfer the virus into their respiratory tract
• sharing utensils, such as cups, cutlery or plates with an infected person

People with mumps are usually most infectious from a few days before their parotid glands swell until a few days afterwards. For this reason, it's advisable to avoid work or school for 5 days after your symptoms first develop if you're diagnosed with mumps.

Mumps can also be passed on by people who are infected with the virus but don't have any obvious symptoms.

Treatment for mumps is focused on relieving symptoms until your body’s immune system fights off the infection. There are currently no medicines to treat the mumps virus.

The infection usually passes within a week or 2.

In the meantime, the measures below may help.

• get plenty of bed rest until your symptoms have passed
• take over-the-counter painkillers, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, to relieve any pain (children aged 16 or under should not be given aspirin)
• drink plenty of fluids, but avoid acidic drinks such as fruit juice as these can irritate your parotid glands; water is usually the best fluid to drink
• apply a warm or cool compress to your swollen glands to help reduce any pain
• eat foods that don't require a lot of chewing, such as soup, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs

If your symptoms don't improve after 7 days, or suddenly worsen, contact your GP for advice.

Preventing the spread of infection

If you or your child has mumps, it's important to prevent the infection spreading, particularly to people who do not have immunity from a previous infection, and have not been vaccinated.

The best way to do this is to:

• stay away from school, college or work until 5 days after you first developed symptoms
• wash your hands regularly, using soap and water
• always use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, and throw the tissue in a bin immediately afterwards

There are several problems that often occur with mumps. These can be worrying, but they're rarely serious and usually improve as the infection passes.

Common complications

Swollen testicle

Pain and swelling of the testicle (orchitis) affects 1 in 3 males who get mumps after puberty. The swelling is usually sudden and affects only 1 testicle. The testicle may also feel warm and tender.

In affected boys and men, swelling of the testicle normally begins 4 to 8 days after the swelling of the parotid gland. Occasionally, swelling can occur up to 6 weeks after the swelling of the glands.

Any testicle pain can be eased using painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen you buy from the pharmacy or supermarket. If the pain is particularly severe, contact your GP, who may prescribe you a stronger painkiller.

Applying cold or warm compresses to your testicle and wearing supportive underwear may also reduce any pain.

Just under half of all males who get mumps-related orchitis notice some shrinkage of their testicles and an estimated 1 in 10 men experience a drop in their sperm count (the amount of healthy sperm their body can produce). However, this is very rarely large enough to cause infertility.

Swollen ovaries

One in 15 females who get mumps after puberty experience swelling of the ovaries (oophoritis), which can cause:

• lower abdominal pain
• high temperature
• being sick

The symptoms of oophoritis usually pass once the body has fought off the underlying mumps infection.

Viral meningitis

Viral meningitis can occur if the mumps virus spreads into the outer protective layer of the brain (the meninges). It occurs in about 1 in 4 cases of mumps.

Unlike bacterial meningitis, which is regarded as a potentially life-threatening medical emergency, viral meningitis causes milder, flu-like symptoms, and the risk of serious complications is low.

Sensitivity to light, neck stiffness and headaches are common symptoms of viral meningitis. These usually pass within 14 days.

Pancreatitis

About 1 in 25 cases of mumps lead to short-term inflammation of the pancreas (acute pancreatitis). The most common symptom is sudden pain in the centre of your belly.

Other symptoms of acute pancreatitis can include:

• feeling or being sick
• diarrhoea
• loss of appetite
• high temperature
• tenderness of the belly
• less commonly, yellowing of the whites of the eyes and the skin (jaundice), although this may be less noticeable on black or brown skin

Although pancreatitis associated with mumps is usually mild, you may be admitted to hospital so your body functions can be supported until your pancreas recovers.

Rare complications of mumps

Rare but potentially serious complications of mumps include an infection of the brain itself, known as encephalitis. This is thought to occur in around 1 in 1,000 cases of mumps. Encephalitis is a potentially fatal condition that requires admission to a hospital intensive care unit.

About 1 in 25 people with mumps experience some temporary hearing loss, but permanent loss of hearing is rare. It's estimated this occurs in around 1 in 20,000 cases of mumps.

Mumps and pregnancy

In the past it was thought developing mumps during pregnancy increased the risk of miscarriage, but there's little evidence to support this.

But, as a general precaution it's recommended pregnant women avoid close contact with people known to have an active mumps infection (or any other type of infection).

If you're pregnant and you think you've come into contact with someone with mumps but you haven't been vaccinated, contact your GP or midwife for advice.