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Mumps

Mumps is a disease caused by a virus. Symptoms of mumps include puffy cheeks, swollen jaw, fever, headache, muscle aches, feeling tired, and not feeling hungry.source: 1 Mumps spreads easily through the saliva (spit) of an infected person. It can spread when someone with mumps coughs, sneezes, or talks, shares cups or eating utensils (like spoons) with other people, or touches an object or surface that others might touch without washing their hands.source: 2 Mumps used to be very common in the United States. Before the mumps vaccines, nearly everyone in the United States got mumps during childhood. Cases have gone down by 99% since the mumps vaccination program.source: 3

Two vaccines can prevent mumps. (1) The MMR vaccine protects kids and adults from measles, mumps, and rubella. (2) The MMRV vaccine protects kids 12 months to 12 years old from measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox.source: 4

Why does my child need to be vaccinated against mumps?

Children typically suffer less-severe symptoms from mumps than adults. But children and teens are still at risk for serious complications. Mumps causes meningitis in up to 10% of people who aren’t vaccinated against it.source: 5 In fact, before the vaccines, it was one of the main causes of meningitis in children.source: 5 About 30% of unvaccinated males with mumps get an infection in their testicles called orchitis. Orchitis can cause vomiting, fever, and pain.source: 5,source: 6,source: 7 Mumps also causes deafness in 1 out of 20,000 people.source: 8,source: 9

How safe are the vaccines?

MMR vaccines have been administered and monitored for more than 50 years. MMRV vaccines have been licensed since 2005.source: 10 All the research shows the MMR and MMRV vaccines are safe.source: 5

Vaccines, including the MMR and MMRV vaccines, do not cause autism. This misinformation has been studied for decades by experts and no link has ever been found between autism and vaccines.source: 4,source: 11,source: 12 Visit the CDC and Autism Speaks.

Like any medicine, there’s a small chance that the mumps vaccines could cause other serious reactions. However, getting vaccinated is much safer than getting mumps.

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VPD Mumps-Mother with child in wagon

How effective are the vaccines?

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 86% effective at preventing mumps.source: 13 Thanks to most kids getting the vaccines, the number of mumps cases in Americans has dropped by over 99% since the MMR vaccine was licensed in 1971.source: 14 The MMR vaccine has been used since 1971 and the MMRV has been used since 2005.source: 4,source: 5,source: 10

What are the vaccines’ side effects?

Most children don’t have side effects. Side effects are usually mild and go away in a few days. They may include fever, a mild rash, and swollen glands in the cheeks or neck.source: 4,source: 5 Rare side effects can include seizures (sudden, unusual movements or behavior) from having a high fever (about 1 in 3,000–4,000 children who receive the MMR vaccine).source: 4 Seizures related to high fevers (called “febrile seizures”) can be scary but are usually harmless. Brief (short-term) low platelet count (about 1 out of every 30,000–40,000 children) may also occur.source: 4,source: 12

Understanding the Risks

Getting Mumps vs. Getting Vaccinated

Mumps

Vaccines to prevent Mumps

Common: Mild to Moderate Symptoms or Side Effects

Symptoms can be mild to moderate and usually last 1–2 weeks:

  • Puffy/swollen cheeks and jaw
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite

If side effects occur, they are usually mild and last 1–2 days:

  • Soreness
  • Fever
  • Mild, non-contagious rash
  • Swollen glands in the cheeks or neck

Rare: More Serious Symptoms, Complications or Side Effects

  • Inflammation of the testicles or ovaries if the child has gone through puberty
  • Encephalitis (brain swelling)
  • Pancreatitis (pancreas swelling)
  • Meningitis (swelling of the brain and spinal cord coverings)
  • Hearing loss
  • Seizures caused by fever
  • Temporary blood clotting disorder (low platelet count)
  • Temporary pain or stiffness in the joints

When does my child need the vaccines?

Kids ages 1–6 need a vaccine that prevents mumps as part of their routine vaccine schedule. Kids can get the MMR or MMRV vaccines at the same time as other vaccines.source: 15

Children ages 4 and older who are not caught up on the MMR vaccines can get their second dose 28 days after the first dose, or their second MMRV dose 3 months after the first dose.source: 5

First Dose

between 12 and 15 months

Second Dose

between 4 and 6 years

More information

Learn more:

Sources

  1. FDA: Vaccines for Children - A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
  2. HHS: Mumps
  3. CDC: Mumps Cases and Outbreaks
  4. CDC: Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Safety
  5. CDC: Pink Book: Mumps
  6. CDC: Clinical Overview of Mumps
  7. Medline Plus: Orchitis
  8. CDC: Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: Mumps
  9. Immunize.org: Mumps: Questions and Answers
  10. Immunize.org: Vaccine History Timeline
  11. CDC: Autism and Vaccines
  12. Annual Review of Virology: The MMR Vaccine and Autism
  13. CDC: Mumps, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know
  14. CDC: Mumps Cases and Outbreaks
  15. CDC: MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) VIS
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