Mumps is primarily a childhood illness that is caused by a virus . The chief sign of mumps is swollen, painful salivary glands, especially directly behind and below the ears.
Symptoms usually start out remembling the flu with a fever, headache and muscle aches.
Then within a couple of days the swelling typically appears. It often begins on one side, but can spread to the other side or to other salivary glands. It takes a week or 10 days for the swelling to recede. To help relieve the discomfort, an aspirin substitute can be used for pain and fever and plenty of liquids should be given. Mumps is contagious from about two days before the symptoms appear until the swelling is gone.