Mumps is a disease that is caused by an infection of the mumps virus. It is contagious, and is often transmitted by sneezing or coughing. Symptoms include fever, chills, and the characteristic swelling of the salivary glands, which are located near the jawline. Treatment for mumps involves managing the symptoms while the body fights the infection. Most people recover without any long-term effects.
Mumps is a contagious illness caused by a virus that can result in fever and swelling of the neck. During the prevaccine era, nearly everyone in the United States experienced mumps, and 90 percent of cases occurred among children under 15 years of age. Today, there are fewer than a thousand cases of mumps each year in the United States.
The
mumps cause is an infection with the
mumps virus. This virus is an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus from the family
Paramyxovirus of the genus
Rubulavirus. The mumps virus only infects humans, and it is found worldwide.
How Is Mumps Transmitted?
The mumps virus resides in the mucus in the nose and throat of the infected person, along with the saliva. When that person sneezes or coughs, droplets spray into the air. The infected mucus can land in other people's noses or throats when they breathe or put their fingers in their mouth, nose, or eyes after handling an infected surface.
Incubation Period for Mumps
When a person becomes infected with the mumps virus, the virus begins to multiply within the nose, throat, and lymph glands in the neck. The virus can also enter the blood and spread to other parts of the body. After 16 to 18 days, on average,
mumps symptoms can appear. This period between mumps transmission and the start of mumps symptoms is the "
incubation period for mumps." In some cases, the mumps incubation period can be as early as 12 days or as late as 25 days.
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