In mumps, one or both of the salivary glands swell up and
become hurting.
This creates the characteristic ‘hamster’ appearance of a
swollen face, particularly just below and in front of the ear.
The swelling lasts for between 4 and 7 days.
- Pain when chewing and swallowing,
- Fever,
- Sore throat,
- Feeling tired,
- Loss of appetite,
- Mild tummy pain,
- Dry mouth, and
- Headache.
There may be swelling around the ovaries (in girls) or testes
(in boys after puberty).
However, around a third of people with the viruses that cause
mumps develop no symptoms, and in most other people the
symptoms are fairly mild.
The incubation period, which means the time the viral infection
is in your system before the symptoms begin to show, is
around 14 - 21 days. A person with mumps is contagious from
several days before their glands swell until several days after
they swell, which means that they are contagious for around
12 - 25 days. You can only pass on mumps if you currently
have the infection.
Causes
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