What is mumps? Mumps is an infectious disease caused by a virus
that typically leads to painful swelling of the salivary glands
in front of and below the ears. Mumps typically occurs in
children between the ages of two and 12 years who were not
vaccinated against mumps. Mumps may also cause flu-like
symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, cough,
and aches and pains; and these symptoms typically develop first,
before salivary gland swelling is apparent. The salivary gland
swelling may be minor or not even noticeable in some cases, and
it can occur on one or both sides of the face. Infectious
Disease Spotlight Infections are spread from one person to
another through droplets of mucus or saliva. The symptoms
develop at any time from 12 to 25 days following infection.
Mumps is very contagious, and those who are affected should be
isolated for five days after the appearance of salivary gland
swelling. Sometimes, it is possible to be infected with the
mumps virus without having any symptoms. Since