Prophylaxis | Mumps

Prophylaxis

There is an effective protective vaccination against the mumps virus, which is available as a single or combined vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella or measles, mumps). The permanent vaccination committee StIKo recommends vaccination against mumps for all children according to the vaccination calendar. Basic immunization against mumps requires two vaccinations.

The first vaccination should be given to children aged 11-14 months. The vaccination is injected into the muscle (intramuscularly). However, vaccination at an earlier stage should be avoided, as there is a weakened immune response in the child due to the still existing maternal nest protection.

The second vaccination follows at the age of 15-23 months. The mumps vaccination is a live vaccine. This means that attenuated, live pathogens are injected, but they can no longer cause severe mumps disease.

Instead, they only serve to make the body form defense bodies that it can fall back on in the event of a real mumps infection. The immunity then lasts for a lifetime. The first vaccination is usually a combination of mumps, measles and rubella.

In the second vaccination the live vaccine for chickenpox (varicella) is added. If the basic immunization was missed in childhood, a so-called post-exposure vaccination can be administered in case of contact with a person infected with mumps. This must be carried out within three to five days after contact in order to prevent the outbreak of mumps disease.

For persons with a good immune defense, a single active immunization with the measles mumps rubella vaccine is sufficient as post-exposure protection. Even existing symptoms can be alleviated and the duration of the disease can even be shortened. Persons with a weakened immune system or who are chronically ill, however, should be given a passive immunization by means of an administration of finished defense substances (immunoglobulins) after contact with mumps sufferers.

Is it possible to get mumps despite vaccination?

Mumps can occur in rare cases despite a vaccination. Mostly this is due to an insufficient vaccination status, for example if a vaccination of the basic immunization is missing. However, even with complete vaccination protection, there are some vaccination failures who still get mumps.