How to Prevent Mumps
Vaccinate your child., Get yourself vaccinated., Visit your primary doctor., Visit a local pharmacy., Get vaccinated before traveling internationally.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Vaccinate your child.
Mumps is most common in children.
Prevent your children from getting mumps by getting them vaccinated as soon as possible.
Vaccination against mumps is much safer than getting a mumps infection.
The mumps vaccine is usually administered in two dosages.
The first dosage should be administered to your child at 12 to 15 months of age.
The second dosage is usually given between four to six years of age.
It is possible to give the second dose as soon as 28 days after the first dose.There are two types of mumps vaccinations:
MMR and MMRV.
The MMRV vaccine includes the vaccination for varicella or chickenpox.
Consult your doctor about which vaccine your child should get.Call your doctor if your child develops a reaction to the vaccine.
Reactions include fever, rash, and fever-related seizure.
In rare cases deafness, long-term seizures, coma and brain damage have been reported. -
Step 2: Get yourself vaccinated.
If you are a teenager or an adult who has not been vaccinated, have not had the disease, or do not know if you have been vaccinated, the best way to prevent mumps is to get vaccinated.
Adults born during or after 1957 and who have no evidence of immunity should get vaccinated.
Also, students who attend post-high school educational institutions (college, trade schools, and training programs) who do not have evidence of immunity should get vaccinated.
Healthcare personnel who cannot prove they are immune should get vaccinated.
Those recently exposed to mumps, or those living in a community with a recent mumps outbreak should consider vaccination as soon as possible.
Additionally, adults who received inactivated measles during 1963 to 1967, or adults vaccinated before 1979 with either a mumps vaccine of an unknown type or a killed mumps vaccine should consider vaccination.Evidence of immunity in adults includes: documentation of the administration of two doses of MMR, on or after their first birthday; birth before 1957; laboratory evidence of immunity; or documentation of physician-diagnosed mumps.If you are pregnant, you should wait to get the MMR until after you have given birth.
Women should also avoid getting pregnant for at least four weeks after getting the MMR vaccine.
Adults who should not get the vaccine include those who are moderately or severely ill, or adults who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, a previous dose of MMR, or the antibiotic neomycin.
Adults who should check with their healthcare provider before they get the vaccine include those who: have HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system; are being treated with drugs that affect the immune system for two weeks or longer, like steroids; have a low platelet count or a blood disorder; or adults who have any kind of cancer or are taking cancer treatments., To get the mumps vaccination, you can visit your general practitioner or your primary doctor.
Your doctor will administer two doses of the mumps vaccine at least 28 days apart.Private health insurance is required to cover the MMR vaccine without charging a coinsurance or copayment.Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage Plan Part C may also offer coverage for the MMR vaccine.
Most state Medicaid agencies will cover at least some of the adult vaccinations, but may not cover all.
For more information, check with your state Medicaid agency. , If you do not have a primary care doctor, you can visit a local pharmacy for the administration of the MMR vaccine.
Government-funded health centers, community health clinics, state health departments, workplaces, and other community locations like religious centers and schools offer the MMR vaccine., The mumps vaccine is not widely used throughout the world.
For example, Japan does not routinely vaccinate against the mumps.
As a result, it is a fairly common disease in many countries.
Even in industrialized countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, the risk for mumps is high; since 2004 there have been several outbreaks in the United Kingdom.
The risk is especially high for children and adults who have not been vaccinated.
Therefore, make sure you and your children are vaccinated before traveling abroad. -
Step 3: Visit your primary doctor.
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Step 4: Visit a local pharmacy.
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Step 5: Get vaccinated before traveling internationally.
Detailed Guide
Mumps is most common in children.
Prevent your children from getting mumps by getting them vaccinated as soon as possible.
Vaccination against mumps is much safer than getting a mumps infection.
The mumps vaccine is usually administered in two dosages.
The first dosage should be administered to your child at 12 to 15 months of age.
The second dosage is usually given between four to six years of age.
It is possible to give the second dose as soon as 28 days after the first dose.There are two types of mumps vaccinations:
MMR and MMRV.
The MMRV vaccine includes the vaccination for varicella or chickenpox.
Consult your doctor about which vaccine your child should get.Call your doctor if your child develops a reaction to the vaccine.
Reactions include fever, rash, and fever-related seizure.
In rare cases deafness, long-term seizures, coma and brain damage have been reported.
If you are a teenager or an adult who has not been vaccinated, have not had the disease, or do not know if you have been vaccinated, the best way to prevent mumps is to get vaccinated.
Adults born during or after 1957 and who have no evidence of immunity should get vaccinated.
Also, students who attend post-high school educational institutions (college, trade schools, and training programs) who do not have evidence of immunity should get vaccinated.
Healthcare personnel who cannot prove they are immune should get vaccinated.
Those recently exposed to mumps, or those living in a community with a recent mumps outbreak should consider vaccination as soon as possible.
Additionally, adults who received inactivated measles during 1963 to 1967, or adults vaccinated before 1979 with either a mumps vaccine of an unknown type or a killed mumps vaccine should consider vaccination.Evidence of immunity in adults includes: documentation of the administration of two doses of MMR, on or after their first birthday; birth before 1957; laboratory evidence of immunity; or documentation of physician-diagnosed mumps.If you are pregnant, you should wait to get the MMR until after you have given birth.
Women should also avoid getting pregnant for at least four weeks after getting the MMR vaccine.
Adults who should not get the vaccine include those who are moderately or severely ill, or adults who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, a previous dose of MMR, or the antibiotic neomycin.
Adults who should check with their healthcare provider before they get the vaccine include those who: have HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system; are being treated with drugs that affect the immune system for two weeks or longer, like steroids; have a low platelet count or a blood disorder; or adults who have any kind of cancer or are taking cancer treatments., To get the mumps vaccination, you can visit your general practitioner or your primary doctor.
Your doctor will administer two doses of the mumps vaccine at least 28 days apart.Private health insurance is required to cover the MMR vaccine without charging a coinsurance or copayment.Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage Plan Part C may also offer coverage for the MMR vaccine.
Most state Medicaid agencies will cover at least some of the adult vaccinations, but may not cover all.
For more information, check with your state Medicaid agency. , If you do not have a primary care doctor, you can visit a local pharmacy for the administration of the MMR vaccine.
Government-funded health centers, community health clinics, state health departments, workplaces, and other community locations like religious centers and schools offer the MMR vaccine., The mumps vaccine is not widely used throughout the world.
For example, Japan does not routinely vaccinate against the mumps.
As a result, it is a fairly common disease in many countries.
Even in industrialized countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, the risk for mumps is high; since 2004 there have been several outbreaks in the United Kingdom.
The risk is especially high for children and adults who have not been vaccinated.
Therefore, make sure you and your children are vaccinated before traveling abroad.
About the Author
Samuel Griffin
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
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