The mumps are a contagious disease transmitted by a virus, called paramyxovirus, which causes an infection that causes swelling of one or both parotid glands (= glands responsible for the production of saliva) located near the ears. The neck and cheeks are swollen, which often causes severe pain when chewing or swallowing food.

The disease usually affects children. However, it is increasingly rare, especially in countries where the combined vaccine (the triple vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, called MMR in Quebec, MMR in France) is part of the free routine vaccination program for patients. children.

Transmission

The mumps virus is easily spread from person to person through infected saliva droplets (when a person coughs or sneezes, or through infected toys or dishes).

People infected with the mumps virus are highly contagious about 3 days before the swelling of the parotid glands, called parotitis, starts and for up to 9 days afterwards.  

The most contagious period is 1 or 2 days after the onset of parotitis and for 5 days thereafter.

Complications

Although it is rare, mumps can cause some complications:

• Meningitis. It can start if the infection spreads through the bloodstream and then into the nervous system (about 5% of mumps cases).
• A encephalitis (less than 1 in 1000 cases of mumps). It can take place if the infection spreads to the brain and can potentially be fatal.
• A pancreatitis.
• An infection of the testes (= orchitis) or ovaries in young people who have reached puberty.
• Deafness. Although it happens very rarely, mumps can cause permanent hearing loss in one or both ears.

Prevalence

Canada

In Canada, since the mumps vaccine was licensed in 1969, the number of cases has declined by more than 99%, from an average of 34 cases per year to fewer than 000 cases in the early 400s. 1990, an average of around 2000 cases are reported per year. However, epidemic foci (outbreaks) have been reported regularly in different provinces over the past 80 years.

* Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

France

In France, thanks to vaccination, the incidence of mumps has decreased markedly, from hundreds of thousands of cases per year in the mid-1980s, to a few thousand in recent years. There is an average of 11 cases of mumps per year, or 000 cases per 18 people.

*Source INRS, 2009.