Children with mumps should not go to school, day care, or public places until 9 days after the salivary glands first start to swell.

It is not generally necessary to separate a child from the family, because by the time mumps is diagnosed, most household members have already been exposed.

If you or your child has mumps:

• Use acetaminophen for fever or headache. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20 because its use has been linked to a rare but serious illness called Reye's syndrome.
• Place an ice or a heat pack, whichever feels better, on the swollen jaw if there is pain from the swelling. Place a light towel between the jaw and the ice pack or heat pack to protect the skin. Remove the pack after 20 minutes.
• Place an ice pack intermittently on tender testicles. Gentle support may also be comforting and reduce swelling. See how to make and use an ice pack.
• Suck on ice chips or flavored ice treats, such as Popsicles. Eat soft foods that do not require chewing.
• Do not eat sour foods or sour liquids. Because infected salivary glands are extremely sensitive, it may be difficult to eat these foods.

If you or your child has mumps, call your local health department. The health department needs to record all cases of the illness. If you visit your doctor, he or she will report it for you.

Prevention

Before the mumps vaccine existed, mumps was a common childhood disease in the United States. The mumps vaccine is now routinely given as part of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine(What is a PDF document?). There is also a measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine that includes a vaccine for chickenpox (varicella). The MMRV vaccine is also called ProQuad and can be substituted for either or both doses of MMR. For more information, see the topic Immunizations.

The benefits of the MMR and MMRV vaccines far outweigh the risks. But you may have concerns, such as:

• Whether your child is at risk for autism after receiving the MMR vaccine. Numerous studies show there is no evidence that the MMR vaccine causes or is related to autism.⁵
• Whether your child will have an allergic reaction from the MMR vaccine or MMRV vaccine. Recent studies have shown that the risk of allergic reaction from these vaccines is extremely low.

Check your immunization status before you travel to countries where mumps is common.