Mumps
Mumps is an infection caused by a virus. It is sometimes called infectious parotitis, and it primarily affects the salivary glands.
Mumps is mostly a mild childhood disease. It most often affects children between five and nine years old. But the mumps virus can infect adults as well. When it does, complications are more likely to be serious. As more children receive mumps vaccine, it is expected that cases will become more common in older children than in younger ones.
WHO position papers
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English and French versions (February 2007)
pdf, 331kb -
Chinese translation
pdf, 166kb -
Spanish translation
pdf, 52kb
Further information
- Vaccine safety
- Data and surveillance standards on mumps
- Meeting reports
- Technical report: Requirements for Mumps Vaccine (Live)
Last updated: 25 January 2008