Skip to main content
Home

    Main navigation

    • Home
    • About the report
    • Diseases
      • Hib disease
      • Hepatitis A
      • Hepatitis B
      • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
      • Measles
      • Meningococcal
      • Mumps
      • Pertussis
      • Pneumococcal disease
      • Rare Diseases
      • Rotavirus
      • Seasonal influenza
      • Varicella-zoster virus infection
    • Social determinants of health
    • Timeliness
    • Useful links

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Diseases
  3. Mumps
  • The disease
  • Transmission
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Vaccination recommendations and coverage
  • Who is most affected?
  • How common is it?
  • Hospitalisations/deaths
  • Comment
  • Links and resources

Mumps

Key Findings

The disease

Mumps is an acute viral infection that used to be very common in childhood before vaccination was introduced.

Transmission

Mumps is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes droplets in the air. It is also spread directly via saliva.

Signs and symptoms

  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Tiredness and headaches
  • Swelling and tenderness of the salivary glands
  • Swelling of one or both of the parotid salivary glands; these are located below the ears, near the cheeks and jawline

Some people do not show any symptoms at all.

While mumps is usually mild, if it becomes more serious it can cause complications that affect organs such as the testicles, ovaries, heart and brain.

Vaccination recommendations and coverage

All children older than 12 months old are recommended to have 2 doses of mumps-containing vaccines.

Children get a mumps vaccine at:

  • 12 months of age
  • 18 months of age.

Vaccination coverage rates for mumps are better in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children compared to other children at 60 months.

Who is most affected?

While mumps is rare, it can occur at any age. A number of outbreaks occurred in Australia between 2015 and 2018 that mainly affected Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adolescents and young adults living in remote communities.

How common is it?

Between 2016 and 2019, 2422 cases of mumps were reported in Australia, with 1466 (60.5%) of these occurring in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. There were 37.0 cases of mumps per 100,000 population per year in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, a much higher rate than that for other Australians (1.0 per 100,000 per year). Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–24 years had the highest rates of mumps, with 73.1 notifications per 100,000 population per year.

Hospitalisations/deaths

There were 472 hospital admissions for mumps during the 2016–2019 period, of which 102 (21.6%) were recorded as being in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Hospitalisation rates were highest among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years.

There were 1–5 deaths where mumps was reported as an underlying or associated cause of death; all of these were among people aged 50 years or older. No deaths were recorded as being in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Comment

Outbreaks throughout 2015–2018 in northern Australia impacted Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities and are the reason for the substantially higher notification rates among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adolescents and young adults.7,8,9

Links and resources

7Westphal DW, Eastwood A, Levy A, Davies J, Huppatz C, Gilles M, et al. A protracted mumps outbreak in Western Australia despite high vaccine coverage: a population-based surveillance study. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2019;19(2).

8Bangor-Jones R, Dowse GK, Giele CM, van Buynder PG, Hodge MM, Whitty MM. A prolonged mumps outbreak among highly vaccinated Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. 2009;191(7):398-401.

9Walker J, Adegbija O, Smoll N, Khan A, Whicker j, Carroll H, et al. Epidemiology of mumps outbreaks and the impact of an additional dose of MMR vaccine for outbreak control in regional Queensland, Australia, 2017-2018. Communicable Disease Intelligence. 2021;21.

Mumps – NSW Health Factsheet

Measles, mumps and rubella decision aid – NCIRS

Home

Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, 
Cnr Hawkesbury Rd & Hainsworth St, 
Westmead Locked Bag 4001, 
Westmead NSW 2145  
ABN 53 188 579 090

SCHN-NCIRS@health.nsw.gov.au

We acknowledge that the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) is on the land of traditional owners who are part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the First Australians, and recognise their culture, history, diversity and their deep connection to the land. Together, through research and partnership, we aim to move to a place of equity for all. NCIRS acknowledges and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations from which our research, staff and community are drawn.

Copyright © 2023 NCIRS. All rights reserved

Footer

  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility