Mumps is an acute, highly contagious viral disease caused by the mumps virus, an RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, and is a vaccine-preventable infection of the salivary glands with humans as the only natural hosts [1][2].
Disease overview
Evidence-backed information EN 6/7 applicable sections · ZH 6/7 applicable sections Updated Oct 23, 2026
Mumps is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable viral disease caused by the mumps virus, primarily affecting children aged 5–9 years and some young adults [1][2]. Outbreaks commonly arise in crowded settings such as schools, military barracks, prisons, and sports clubs, and the disease has resurged in vaccinated populations during the 21st century, mainly among adolescents and young adults in dense gatherings [1]. Vaccination has dramatically reduced mumps frequency where introduced, though debate persists over vaccine safety and coverage [1][3].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile 7
Initial nonspecific symptoms include fever, headache, malaise, muscle pain, and appetite loss, typically followed by painful parotid gland swelling (parotitis) as the most common sign [1]. Symptoms generally appear 16 to 18 days after exposure, and about one-third of infections are asymptomatic [1]. Rare complications include deafness and inflammatory conditions of the testes, breasts, ovaries, pancreas, meninges, and brain [1].
Mumps outbreaks occur frequently in crowded environments including schools, military barracks, prisons, and sports clubs, with post-vaccine introduction sharply lowering disease frequency [1]. In the 21st century, recurrent outbreaks have reemerged in vaccinating countries, largely affecting adolescents and young adults in densely populated settings such as schools, sports teams, religious gatherings, and the military [1]. Epidemiologic patterns in vaccinating nations reflect dose numbers, age at vaccination, and coverage, with insufficient coverage preventing herd immunity and raising average infection age [1].
The mumps virus spreads mainly through respiratory secretions like droplets and saliva and via direct contact with infected individuals [1]. It is highly contagious in densely populated environments and can transmit from one week before to eight days after symptom onset, first infecting the upper respiratory tract before disseminating via lymph nodes and blood [1].
Mumps is preventable through vaccination, with the MMR and related combined vaccines widely used and accepted as effective in children up to 15 years of age [3][4]. Maintaining adequate vaccine coverage is essential, as insufficient uptake undermines herd immunity and permits resurgence driven partly by waning vaccine-derived immunity [1]. Safety evidence shows no increased autism risk after MMR and high strength of evidence for its routine use, though febrile seizures are a recognized increased risk [3][5].
GlobalID source-data note: Finland THL source code 171 is displayed in the upstream English dimension as ‘Swine fever’. Its official Finnish label is ‘Sikotauti’, meaning mumps; it does not refer to the animal disease classical swine fever.
- 1 Wikipedia contributors. Mumps - Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikipedia. cited 23 Oct 2026. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumps
- 2 World Health Organization. Mumps [Internet]. cited 23 Oct 2026. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mumps
- 3 Di Pietrantonj C et al. Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Nov 22. PMID: 34806766. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub5. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34806766/
- 4 Di Pietrantonj C et al. Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Apr 20. PMID: 32309885. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub4. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32309885/
- 5 Gidengil C et al. Safety of vaccines used for routine immunization in the United States: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccine. 2021 Jun 23. PMID: 34049735. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.079. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34049735/
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