About mumps

Mumps is a virus that spreads by coughing, sneezing, or having contact with saliva (such as kissing or sharing toys).

You can have no symptoms but still spread mumps. It can cause:

• a fever
• a headache
• swelling of the glands around your jaw
• swelling of the testicles or ovaries
• deafness
• encephalitis (swelling of the brain)
• meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining that cover the brain and spinal cord)

Learn more about mumps.

Symptoms

The most common symptom of mumps is swollen cheeks and neck. This swelling is painful. It can happen on one or both sides of the face and will make the cheeks and neck bulge out.

You can have no symptoms but still spread mumps. It can cause:

• fever
• headache
• earaches
• sore muscles
• loss of appetite

There is no cure for mumps, but there are things you can do to relieve your symptoms or your child’s symptoms at home.

Vaccine

There are vaccines that protect against mumps. The vaccine given most often to children is called the MMR-Var vaccine. This vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox).

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Learn about Alberta’s routine immunization schedule.

Prevent the spread

Anyone who has mumps should stay out of school, daycare, work, and public places until 5 days after the salivary glands first start to swell.

It is also important to:

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer often.
• Cover your cough or sneeze into your arm or tissue, not your hand.