The MMR vaccination and the diseases it protects againstMMR stands for Measles, Mumps and Rubella and is often referred to as the triple vaccine. Children receive a single injection of the MMR vaccine at around 13 months, with another dose given at three years and four to five months old and your child needs two doses. Dr Ramsay, a consultant epidemiologist, says "Anyone who has not had two doses could be at risk of this serious infection." The MMR controversy The MMR vaccine controversy came about because of research led by Dr Andrew Wakefield in 1998 which raised concerns about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism and Chron's disease. The studies carried out claiming links with these diseases involved small numbers of children. Since the initial study millions of cases have been followed up worldwide with no link proven. One study in Finland looked at 3 million administered doses of MMR and failed to find one case of autism that could be linked to the vaccine. The World Health Organisation continues to support the use of this vaccine. The consensus of the medical and scientific community (The Centers for Disease Control, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the UK National Health Service) is that the benefits of the MMR vaccine greatly outweigh the risks and there is no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Read more about the The controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine MeaslesThis disease is highly infectious and can be serious. It begins like a bad cold and then develops into a fever and a rash. The child always feels very miserable and may be very unwell with a bad cough and a high temperature. There are complications for about one child in 15 who catch measles. It is the childhood infection most likely to cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), which sometimes results in brain damage. Measles can also cause convulsions, serious ear infections, bronchitis and pneumonia, which can lead to long term problems. Measles can be fatal. MumpsThis is usually a mild illness which causes swollen cheeks. But it can have serious complications. Until recently, it was the most common cause of viral meningitis among the under-15s. It can also cause permanent deafness, though this is now very rare. Mumps is very uncomfortable for boys as it can cause painful swollen testicles. It very occasionally leads to sterility. Mumps can cause a painful infection of the ovaries in women, so girls need to be protected too. Rubella (German measles)This is a mild illness for children, but if a pregnant woman who is not immune catches it, then her unborn baby could be harmed. The risk is higher if she catches rubella in the first three months of pregnancy. The baby may then be born deaf, blind and with heart and brain damage. Pregnant women who get rubella most often catch it from their own or their friends’ young children. So it’s important for all children to be immunised. Women of childbearing age can have a blood test to check for rubella antibodies and if necessary an immunisation can then be given. Talk to your doctor if you are planning a pregnancy and are not sure if you are rubella immune. Side effects
These are all mild symptoms of the diseases themselves, but they are not infectious to other children or adults including pregnant women. Occasionally, children do have a more serious reaction to MMR. About one child in 1,000 may have a febrile convulsion, but a child is ten times more likely to have a febrile convulsion if they get the natural measles infection. Following natural measles infection about one in 5,000 children is affected by encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Of these, a third will have lasting brain damage. Encephalitis following MMR immunisation affects less than one in 1,000,000 children - and most of these children make a complete recovery. To date (2008) there has been no conclusive scientific evidence to show that the MMR causes autism or Chrohn's disease. More on MMR:
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