Can mumps be prevented?
Mumps can almost always be prevented by getting a series of shots with the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two shots provide lifelong protection (immunity) against getting mumps: one at 12 to 15 months of age, the other at 4 to 6 years of age. There is also a measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine that includes a vaccine for chickenpox (varicella). This vaccine is called ProQuad and can be substituted for either or both doses of MMR.34 Most babies do not become infected with mumps during their first year of life because of the short-term immunity they received while in their mothers’ womb. Before the mumps vaccine existed, mumps was a common childhood disease in the United States.
