If you've searched the web for private health insurance that covers mumps then you are probably for looking for trusted UK based health insurance providers that can cover mumps.
Our advice when shopping around for health insurance that covers mumps is to speak to a insurance broker. Health insurance is very complicated and if you want absolute certainty that mumps is covered by your policy you should consult with a medical insurance broker who can explain which policy providers will cover this medical condition and which will exclude it.
There are many advantages to using a insurance broker but the largest by far is that you're using their expertise at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than by you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a cheaper premium than offers. A insurance broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance policy? A broker will know this critical information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain medical condition and want to know which policy provider offers the biggest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you so much time and effort.
You can call around every medical insurance provider you can find and ask if they cover mumps, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its far far quicker to speak to one health insurance broker which will know which policy providers on the market cover mumps and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
Mumps Information
Mumps is a contagious viral infection that used to be common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine.
It’s most recognisable by the painful swellings at the side of the face under the ears (the parotid glands), giving a person with mumps a distinctive "hamster face" appearance.
Other symptoms of mumps include headaches, joint pain and a high temperature, which may develop a few days before the swelling of the parotid glands.
It's important to contact your GP if you suspect mumps so a diagnosis can be made. While mumps isn't usually serious, the condition has similar symptoms to more serious types of infection, such as glandular fever and tonsillitis.
Your GP can usually make a diagnosis after seeing and feeling the swelling, looking at the position of the tonsils in the mouth and checking the person's temperature to see if it's higher than normal.
Let your GP know in advance if you're coming to the surgery, so they can take any necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection.
If your GP suspects mumps, they should notify your local health protection unit (HPU). The HPU will arrange for a sample of saliva to be tested to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.
Most cases of mumps occur in people between 17 and 34 years of age who have not received 2 doses of the MMR vaccine. There were 534 confirmed mumps cases of mumps in Scotland between 1 January and 30 September 2019.
Once you've been infected by the mumps virus, you normally develop a life-long immunity to further infection.
Mumps is spread in the same way as colds and flu – through infected droplets of saliva that can be inhaled or picked up from surfaces and transferred into the mouth or nose.
A person is most contagious a few days before the symptoms develop and for a few days afterwards.
During this time, it's important to prevent the infection spreading to others, particularly teenagers and young adults who haven't been vaccinated.
If you have mumps, you can help prevent it spreading by:
You can protect your child against mumps by making sure they're given the combined MMR vaccine (for mumps, measles and rubella). The MMR vaccine is part of the routine NHS childhood immunisation schedule.
Your child should be given one dose when they are around 12-13 months and a second booster dose before they start school. Your child needs to get 2 doses of the vaccine to provide the best protection against mumps.