Mumps on the rise, say Maryland health officials

The Maryland Department of Health said mumps statewide are increasing, with 26 reported cases this year versus only four in all of 2025.

The health officials said 19 of the mumps cases were confirmed, while seven were probable, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The most recent cases are occurring in adults in the Baltimore area, and the state health agency and local officials are looking into a link between the cases.

Mumps are spread by saliva or respiratory droplets, with symptoms showing up within two to four weeks of exposure. The most common symptoms are the swelling of salivary glands between the jaw and the ear, which in turn causes puffy cheeks and a tender jaw, along with fever. These symptoms last three days to a week, state health officials said.

In rare, severe cases, mumps can cause loss of hearing and inflammation in body parts, including the testicles, ovaries, breasts, pancreas, the tissue covering the brain and spine, and the brain itself, the last of which can be fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Maryland health officials said that, given the high rates of vaccination statewide, the overall risk to the public from the rise in mumps is low.

“The most effective prevention against a mumps infection is to get the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine, a two-dose series that is routinely recommended at 12–15 months of age for the first dose and the second dose at 4–6 years old,” said Dr. Meg Sullivan, Maryland’s deputy secretary for Public Health Services.

A single dose of the MMR vaccine is considered 72% effective for preventing the contraction of mumps, while two doses are considered 86% effective, according to the CDC.