Mumps is a preventable contagious disease, commonly presenting with acute parotitis that can be unilateral or bilateral, but occasionally causing complications such as epididymo-orchitis or meningoencephalitis. The Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps vaccine was introduced in 1966 and led to a dramatic decline in cases. The introduction of the 2-dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine series in 1989 brought mumps cases to a record low. However, since 2006, mumps has reappeared in large-scale outbreaks. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a significant backsliding in routine childhood immunization rates worldwide, increasing the risk of future mumps outbreaks. Pediatricians must stay on guard for mumps: early identification, appropriate testing, public health reporting, and being a voice for vaccination are key to prevention.
Mumps virus contains RNA surrounded by a helical nucleocapsid and a surface envelope embedded with glycoproteins having hemagglutinin neuraminidase (HN protein) and cell fusion (F protein) activities. A member of...
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