Mumps
Medical Author:
Jagvir Singh, MD
Medical Editor:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Jeter (Jay) Pritchard Taylor III, MD
Mumps OverviewMumps is a disease, usually of children, caused by a virus. With mumps, your salivary glands swell. Specifically, these are the parotid glands, and they are located below and in front of each ear. The virus is spread by direct contact with an infected person's sneeze or cough. Humans are the only known natural hosts. The disease is more severe if you get it as an adult. With nearly universal immunization in childhood, there are fewer than 1,000 cases of mumps per year. Most of the reported cases are in children aged 5-14 years. The infection is more common during late winter and spring. |
Parenting and Pregnancy
Get tips for baby and you.
From WebMD
Parenting Resources
- Your Flu Vaccine Questions Answered
- How to Keep Your Family Safe From Germs
- From Fit: Kids' Top 6 Worries
Featured Centers
- Ask the Nutritionist: Weight Loss Tips
- Which Drugstore Tooth Whiteners Work Best?
- Gout: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Mumps
Testicular Pain Overview
Men become very concerned and anxious when they feel pain in their testicles. To better understand the various causes of this symptom, an understanding of basic anatomy and the development of the testicles is necessary.
- Before birth, the testicles are located in the abdomen (belly). Eventually, the testicles migrate down through the abdomen into the scrotum (the outside pouch that contains the testicles). However, they remain connected to the abdomen by the spermatic cord, which contains vital blood vessels, nerves, lymphatic vessels, and the vas deferens. The spermatic cord also functions to suspend the testicles within the scrotum.
- On the upper, outer, back position of the testicle lies a connected but separate structure called the epididymis, which serves to store and transport sperm. Normally, the epididymis has a direct connection to the wall of the scrotum.
Picture of th...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Mumps »
Mumps is a single-stranded RNA virus and a member of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Paramyxovirus.
Featured Topics
Medical Dictionary
Pill Identifier on RxList
- quick,
easy,
pill identification
Find a Local Pharmacy
- including
24 hour
pharmacies

