What are the usual symptoms of mumps?
• Swelling and pain of one or both parotid glands are the usual main symptoms. (The parotid glands are the main salivary glands. They are just below the ears and you cannot normally see or feel them. The salivary glands make saliva which drains into the mouth.) • The mouth may feel dry. • Chewing and swallowing may be sore. • Fever (temperature), headache, feeling tired and being off food may develop for a few days. • Mild abdominal (tummy) pain may occur. The swelling of the parotid glands usually lasts 4-8 days. Mumps is normally a mild illness, but complications sometimes occur. This is why immunisation is important. There may be no symptoms, or only very minor ones. It is thought that about 3 in 10 people who contract the mumps virus have no symptoms. Rarely, complications alone occur without the usual symptoms occurring first. The immune system makes antibodies during the infection. These clear the virus and then provide lifelong immunity. It is therefore very rare to have more th
