Warm moist towels can help relieve the discomfort of the swelling. Children with mumps should be kept home from school or day care until 9 days after the swelling begins, or until the swelling goes away. Before a vaccine was available, nearly every child got mumps. Now the number is much lower. However, children who are not immunized are still very likely to get the disease.
Mumps is preventable by immunization.
All children should be vaccinated to protect themselves and others from mumps. As is the case with all immunizations, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. Health-care providers should have the most current information on recommendations about the mumps vaccination. If you have any questions about the disease described above, consult a health-care provider.