What is Mumps?

Mumps is caused by a virus that lives in your nose, mouth, eyes and on your skin. It is spread easily from one person to another through the air, through objects contaminated with infected saliva or mucous or through direct contact like kissing. It is less infectious than measles. Symptoms include painful swelling of the cheeks and neck, fever, headache, earache, fatigue, sore muscles and loss of appetite. Rarely, people may have deafness, brain and spinal cord inflammation and swelling in the testicles and ovaries. There is a vaccine that can protect travellers called Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR).

Prevention

Vaccination names: Priorix® & MMR® II

Minimum age: 6 months

Primary series: Two doses after one year of age

Duration: Lifetime with 2 doses