Before immunisation nearly everybody caught mumps, typically between 5 and 10 years of age. Mumps rarely causes anything more than a mild illness. One third of those who catch it do not get ill at all.¹

The Disease

The incubation period (the time from contact with someone with the illness to the first signs of developing the disease) is usually 17-19 days but may be as long as four weeks.

Mumps typically causes a painful swelling of the (parotid) glands on the sides of the face under the ears. This may be accompanied by a fever, headache, weakness and sore throat. The whole illness usually lasts for 1-2 weeks. Though mumps s generally a mild illness, complications do occasionally occur. Mumps can cause meningitis, though mumps meningitis is not like the serious (bacterial) meningitis that can kill within 24 hours. It is nearly always harmless; the most children are likely to suffer is a mild headache and a stiff neck. Nearly all make a complete recovery.²

Swelling of the testicles (orchitis) is rarely a problem before puberty, at around 12 years of age. However, around a quarter of males who contract mumps after puberty will get orchitis - a painful swelling of usually one, but occasionally both, testicles. However, it is extremely rare for this to cause infertility, partly because it is usually affects only one testicle.^{3 4}

About 1 in 3,000 children suffer from encephalitis - inflammation of the brain - and most make a full recovery.⁵ A permanent hearing loss may occur in about1 in 30,000 cases of mumps, more commonly in adults and less so in children.⁶

The Vaccine

There are several types of mumps vaccine available. The information here refers to the Jeryl Lynn strain, which is used by us as BabyJabs, and is the strain present in the MMR vaccine. The vaccine is ‘live’, containing live mumps virus that has been altered (attenuated) to become relatively harmless.

Effectiveness

8 or 9 out of every 10 children given one dose of the single mumps vaccine will be protected.^{7 8} The single mumps vaccine may be more effective than the mumps component of the MMR, which only protects 6 or 7 out of every 10 children.^{9 10 11}

When is the vaccine given?

The vaccination can be given at any age from 12 months.

Side effects

The mumps vaccine is generally free from side effects. Some children may experience mild flu-like symptoms. Less than 1 child in 100 children will get the classic swelling of the salivary glands (parotitis) situated, on the cheeks in front of the ears, typical of mumps.¹² Orchitis, a painful swelling of the testicles, occurs in a quarter of post-pubertal men, but this is very rare in young children.¹³ Extremely rarely, mild meningitis may occur.

The choices

Mumpsvax
Type of vaccine:	Single live mumps vaccine
Manufacturer:	Merck (USA)
Protects against:	Mumps
Active ingredients:	Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps virus
Mercury content:	Nil
Aluminium content:	Nil
Other ingredients:	14.5mg sorbitol Sodium phosphate 1.9mg sucrose 14.5mg hydrolyzed gelatin 0.3mg human albumin <1ppm foetal bovine serum 25µg neomycin
Primary course:	Single dose from the age of 12 months
Boosters:	A second dose is only necessary if he first dose did not work. This can be checked with a blood test

The supply of single and small combination vaccines may change over time. At BabyJabs we are on the constant lookout for safe and effective vaccines to offer your child. We may obtain different vaccines to those listed above. We will only offer you alternative vaccines if we are completely confident of their safety and efficacy.


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¹ Philip RN. Reinhard KR. Lackman DB. Observations on a mumps epidemic in a "virgin" population. 1958. American Journal of Epidemiology 1995; 142(3): 233-53; discussion 231-2.

² Anonymous. A retrospective survey of the complications of mumps. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 1974; 24(145): 552-6.

³ McMath WF. Mumps. Practitioner 1961; 187:305-11.

⁴ McKendrick GD. Nishtar T. Mumps orchitis and sterility. Public Health 1966; 80(6): 277-8.

⁵ Anonymous. The incidence and complications of mumps. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 1974; 24(145): 545-51.

⁶ Hammer SM. Connolly KJ. Viral aseptic meningitis in the United States: clinical features, viral etiologies, and differential diagnosis. Current Clinical Topics in Infectious Diseases 1992; 12: 1-25.

⁷ Hilleman MR et al. Live attenuated mumps-virus vaccine. 4. Protective Efficacy as Measured in a Field Evaluation. New England Journal of Medicine 1967; 252-7.

⁸ Lewis JE et al. Epidemic of mumps in a partially immune population. Canadian Medical Association Journal 1979; 121: 751-4.

⁹ Hersh S et al. Mumps outbreak in a highly vaccinated population. The Journal of Pediatrics 1991; 119:187-193.

¹⁰ Briss PA et al. Sustained Transmission of Mumps in a Highly Vaccinated Population: Assessment of Primary Vaccine Failure and Waning Vaccine-Induced Immunity. Journal of Infectious Disease 1994; 169: 77-82.

¹¹ Harling et al. The effectiveness of the mumps component of the MMR vaccine: a case control study. Vaccine 2005; 23: 4070-4074.

¹² Miller C. Miller E. Rowe K. Bowie C. Judd M. Walker D. Surveillance of symptoms following MMR vaccine in children. Practitioner 1989; 233(1461): 69-73.

¹³ Fescharek R. Quast U. Maass G. Merkle W. Schwarz S. Measles-mumps vaccination in the FRG: an empirical analysis after 14 years of use. II. Tolerability and analysis of spontaneously reported side effects. Vaccine 1990; 8(5): 446-56.