How long is an infected person able to spread the disease?
Mumps virus has been found in respiratory secretions 3 days before the start of symptoms until 9 days after onset. Although mumps virus has been detected on rare occasions for up to 9 days after symptom onset, the patient is most infectious within the first 5 days. Therefore, CDC now recommends isolating mumps patients for 5 days following onset of symptoms (parotitis).
