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Mumps

Caused by a virus, mumps is a salivary gland infection. It takes between 12 and 25 days for symptoms of this disease to show after infection. People may be infectious 6 days before symptoms develop and up to 9 days after they go away.

The mumps virus is passed through air droplets and contact with the saliva of an infected person.

Symptoms of measles include:

• swelling under the jaw area;
• fever;
• headache; and
• aching muscles.

Complications of the disease include serious infection of other glands and body parts, such as testicles, ovaries, pancreas, liver, brain and heart. Hearing loss can occur due to nerve damage and mumps can cause sterility in some men.

Mumps is a vaccine preventable disease.

Vaccination recommended for routine childhood immunisation is listed on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule and funded for children under the Immunise Australia Program.

For technical information refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook 9th Edition 2008 (NHMRC).

Page last modified: 08 April, 2008