MMR Vaccination

What is Measles, Mumps, and Rubella?

Measles

• Extremely contagious virus, 90% of unvaccinated people who come into contact with an infected person will catch the disease. Spread through coughing and sneezing. Can linger in the air for up to two hours.

• It can cause severe health complications like pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), and in rare cases, death.

• Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a distinctive red rash.

Mumps

• Mumps spreads through infected saliva, sharing items, or other close contact. The risk of spreading the virus increases the longer and the closer the contact a person has with someone who has mumps.

• Symptoms include swollen and puffy cheeks, swollen jaw, fever, headache, loss of appetite, muscle aches, and fatigue.

• Can lead to inflammation of the testicles in males, inflammation of the ovaries in females, and viral meningitis in some cases. Mumps can also lead to more serious issues such as infertility, pancreatitis and hearing loss. • Before the MMR vaccine, mumps was a leading cause of deafness in children.

Rubella

• Also known as German measles, it’s usually milder but poses a significant risk to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

• It spreads through airborne droplets from the noses or throats of infected people.

• Symptoms include mild fever, sore throat, rash that starts on the face and spreads, swollen lymph nodes.

• Complications are severe in pregnant women, especially in the first trimester; as it can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). CRS can result in deafness, cataracts, heart defects, intellectual disabilities, and liver or spleen damage.

Information on the MMR vaccination

The MMR vaccine uses weakened strains of the three viruses to stimulate an immune response without causing the diseases.

Two doses of the vaccine are required for maximum immunity: the first dose provides significant protection, while the second dose ensures long-term immunity.

After two doses, the vaccine is about 97% effective against measles and rubella, and 88% against mumps. Immunity is generally long-lasting, often lifelong.

Side effects, if any, are usually minor and temporary, like a sore arm, fever, or mild rash. It is a highly effective, extensively researched and safe vaccine. It is continuously monitored for safety. The MMR vaccine has been in use for over 50 years as it was first licensed in 1971, with hundreds of millions of doses safely administered worldwide. It is endorsed and used by health organisations worldwide, including the NHS in the UK and the CDC and WHO globally.