What is it?
Mumps is an illness caused by a virus.  It is rare today because most children are immunized against it.  Symptoms include fever, headache, and swollen painful glands under the jaw or cheeks.  Rarely, mumps can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) and hearing loss.  Mumps can cause pain in the testicles and, rarely, sterility in teen and adult men.  If a pregnant woman catches mumps in the beginning of her pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage.

How is it Spread?
Mumps can be spread by contact with mucus from the nose or saliva.  It can spread by coughing and sneezing, kissing on the lips and sharing food, eating utensils and mouthed toys.  It is also spread by touching your hands to your nose and mouth, reusing tissues, and forgetting to wash your hands after blowing noses.  It spreads most easily in crowded, poorly ventilated rooms.  People who have not received the mumps vaccine are at risk for catching it.

When is it Contagious?
Mumps is contagious from 7 days before until 9 days after the start of swelling of the glands.  After exposure to mumps, it typically takes 2-3 weeks to develop symptoms.

How it it Diagnosed and Treated?
Mumps is diagnosed by the typical symptoms.  Blood tests or other lab tests may be done to confirm the diagnosis.  There is no specific treatment, and the person usually gets better on his own within 2 weeks.

Should the Child Stay Home?
A child with mumps should stay home until 9 days after the start of swelling of the glands.

How Can We Limit the Spread?

• Immunize children against mumps at 12-15 months of age.  Women planning a pregnancy should check for immunity to mumps and get immunized if necessary.
• Report cases of mumps to the local health department.  They will determine who has been exposed and infected, how the disease has spread, who needs to be sent home, and other measures to stop the spread of the disease.
• Keep the ill child away from infants, unimmunized children, and pregnant women.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow and away from people.  If you cough or sneeze into your hand or a tissue, wash your hands afterwards.
• Wipe runny noses with a clean tissue, throw the tissue away, then wash your hands.
• Don't share food, pacifiers or bottles.  Wash eating utensils and drinking cups well between uses.
• Clean and disinfect mouthed toys and dining tables after each use.  Clean and disinfect water fountains, telephone receivers, and other frequently handled items daily.
• Discourage nose picking.  Try to limit touching the eyes, nose and mouth.
• Don't kiss children on the mouth - hug them and kiss them on the forehead instead.

Information provided on this page is not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of medical treatment.  The recommendations do not indicate a course of treatment or medical care.

These are guidelines to develop policies and procedures for preventing, recognizing and managing communicable disease in child care.  If the children in your care have been exposed to this disease, you may copy this exposure notice and hand out to your day care parents.

This Exposure Notice has been copied from "Keeping Kids Healthy, Preventing and Managing Communicable Disease in Child Care", a project of the The Center for Health Training funded by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division.