MedlinePlus Drug Information: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine (MMR)

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Other drug names:	A-Am An-Az B C-Ch Ci-Cz D-Dh Di-Dz E F G H I-J K-L M-Mh Mi-Mz N-Nh Ni-Nz O P-Pl Pm-Pz Q-R S-Sn So-Sz T-To Tp-Tz U-V W-Z 0-9

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine (MMR)

Diseases

Measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles) are serious diseases. They spread when germs pass from an infected person to the nose or throat of another person.

Measles causes rash, cough, and fever. This disease can lead to ear infection, pneumonia, diarrhea, seizures (convulsions), brain damage, coma, and death.

Mumps causes fever, headache, and swollen glands under the jaw. This disease can lead to hearing loss, meningitis (infection of brain and spinal cord coverings), painful, swollen testicles in males, and sterility in male patients.

Rubella causes rash, swollen glands, and arthritis (mostly in women). Pregnant women can miscarry. Babies can be born with birth defects such as deafness, blindness, heart disease, brain damage, and other serious problems.

Vaccines

Benefits. Vaccination is the best way to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Because most children get the MMR vaccines, there are now many fewer cases of these diseases. There would be many more cases if we stopped vaccinating children.

MMR schedule. Most children should have a total of two MMR vaccinations. They should have MMR at:

12-15 months of age
4-6 years of age or before middle school or junior high school

Other vaccines may be given at the same time as MMR.

Who should get vaccinated?

Most doctors recommend that almost all young children get MMR vaccine. But there are some cautions.

Tell your doctor or nurse if the person getting the vaccine is not able to fight serious infections because of:

a disease she/he was born with.
treatment with drugs such as long-term steroids.
any kind of cancer.
cancer treatment with X-rays or drugs.

Also, it is important to remember that:

people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection usually should get MMR vaccinations.
pregnant women should wait until after pregnancy for MMR vaccinations.
people with a serious allergy to eggs or the drug neomycin should tell the doctor or nurse. If you are unsure, ask your doctor or nurse.

Tell your doctor or nurse if the person getting the MMR vaccine:

ever had a serious allergic reaction or other problem after getting MMR vaccination.
now has moderate or severe illness.
has ever had a seizure.
has a parent, brother, or sister who has had seizures.
has gotten immune globulin or other blood products (such as transfusions) during the past several months. If you are not sure, ask your doctor or nurse.

Risks

As with any medicine, there are very small risks. Serious problems, even death, could occur after receiving a vaccine. However, the risks from the vaccine are much smaller than the risks from getting the diseases. Almost all people who get the MMR vaccine have no problems with it.

Mild or Moderate Problems. Soon after the vaccination, there may be soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given.

For 1-2 weeks after the first dose, there may be:

rash (5-15 out of every 100 doses).
fever of 103 degrees or higher (5-15 out of every 100 doses). This usually lasts 1-2 days.
swelling of the glands in the cheeks, neck, or under the jaw.
a seizure (jerking and staring spell) usually caused by fever. This is rare.

For 1-3 weeks after the first dose, there may be:

pain, stiffness, or swelling in one or more joints lasting up to 3 days (1 out of every 100 doses in children; up to 40 out of every 100 doses in young women).
rarely, pain or stiffness lasting a month or longer; it may come and go. This reaction is most common in young and adult women. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen (non-aspirin products) may be used to reduce fever and soreness.

Severe Problems. These problems happen very rarely:

serious allergic reaction
low number of platelets (a type of blood cell) that can lead to bleeding problems. This is almost always temporary.
long seizures, decreased consciousness, or coma

Problems following MMR vaccination are much less common after the second dose.

In case of a serious reaction

Call a doctor or get emergency help immediately.
Write down what happened and the date and time it happened.
Ask your doctor, nurse, or health care provider to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Report form or call the following toll-free number: (800) 822-7967.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program gives compensation (payment) for persons thought to be injured by vaccines. For details, call the following toll-free number: (800) 338-2382.

If you want to learn more about vaccines, ask your doctor, nurse, or health care provider for the can give you the vaccine package insert or other sources of information. You can also visit the CDC web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nip.

Adapted and reprinted with permission, U.S. Government Printing Office: 1994-582-417/20026. U.S. Department of Health Human Services. Public Health Service. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMR 6/10/94.

Last Revised - 01/01/2003

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. Disclaimer