Medical Health Encyclopedia

MMR - vaccine

RISKS

Most people who receive the MMR will have no associated problems. Others may have minor problems, such as soreness and redness at the injection site or fevers. Serious problems associated with receiving the MMR are rare.

Potential mild to moderate adverse effects include:

• fever (1 in 6 children)
• rash (1 in 20)
• swollen glands (rare)
• seizure (1 in 3,000)
• joint pain/stiffness (1 in 4, usually young women)
• low platelet count/bleeding (1 in 30,000)

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Severe adverse effects may include:

• allergic reaction (less than 1 per million)
• long-term seizure/brain damage/deafness (so rare that the association with the vaccine is questionable)

Despite considerable publicity, there is no evidence linking MMR vaccination with the development of autism. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website provides extensive information on this matter.

The potential benefits from receiving the MMR vaccine far outweigh the potential adverse effects. Measles, mumps, and rubella are all very serious illnesses and each may have complications resulting in lifetime disabilities or even death.

The incidence of such complications, related to having the actual diseases, is far greater than the potential of developing serious, or even moderate, adverse effects due to the MMR vaccine.

WHEN TO DELAY OR NOT GIVE THE VACCINE

If the child is ill, with something more serious than just a cold, immunization may be delayed. Health care providers need to be informed of any problems that may have occurred with the first MMR injection prior to receiving the second MMR.

MMR should not be given to individuals with:

• an allergy to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin serious enough to require medical treatment
• an immune deficiency caused by cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, or HIV
• an immune deficiency caused by taking prednisone, other steroids, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other immunosuppressant drugs
• a woman who is, or possibly may become, pregnant within the next 28 days