What is mumps, and what are the risks of the disease?
Mumps is a viral disease which is less contagious than measles or chicken pox. It causes swollen salivary glands. The most common complication is swelling of the testes (in about 20 percent of males post puberty) and, less commonly, ovaries. Rarely, it can lead to sterility. Other complications are meningitis (less common than in measles) and acute pancreatitits. (A much longer list of complications can be found in the Merck Manual.
