The mumps is a highly contagious disease characterized by swollen and tender salivary glands on the sides of the neck. Not only is the mumps miserable, but it can cause some pretty serious complications and life-long consequences.
Even being so young when contracting the mumps, Emma remembers it vividly. You can see the characteristic swollen glands in the photo even through she’s smiling.
Here’s Emma’s story.
“I was born in 1979, so too early to be vaccinated against mumps. It was only in 1988 that the UK introduced its first vaccine against the disease, the MMR.