MUMPS DEFINITION

Caused by a virus that infects the salivary glands near the jawbone, mumps is a highly contagious illness that shows up mainly in swelling and soreness in the jaw area. The swelling is usually on both sides, though, one side may puff up several days before the other. Your child may run a fever and complain that it hurts to swallow or talk, and may have a headache or earache. The virus travels throughout the body, infecting the spinal fluid, the pancreas, and the testicles or ovaries, but most children don't have symptoms in these places.