Mumps is an acute viral illness caused by the mumps virus, (paramyxovirus ) which is spread from person to person through airborne transmission or by direct contact with infected droplet nuclei or saliva. Before a vaccine was available mumps was a very common childhood illness. The incubation period of mumps is 14–18 days (range, 14–25 days). Mumps is best known for the swelling of the cheeks and jaw that it causes, a result of inflammation of the salivary glands. Mumps also causes a fever and headache. It is usually a mild disease, but it leads to meningitis in about 1 child in 10 who get the disease. It can occasionally cause encephalitis, deafness (about 1 in 20,000 cases), or even death (about 1 in 10,000 cases).

SYMPTOMS

• After a incubation period of 14 to 18 days, mumps begins with general malaise and fever, followed by the swelling of the parotid (salivary) glands. Recovery is usually complete within approximately a week.

• Complications such as aseptic meningitis, deafness, orchitis (inflammation of the testis), and pancreatitis may appear, especially among adults.

• No specific treatment is currently available.