The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as MMR.[6] The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, with at least four weeks between the doses.[7][8][9] After two doses, 97% of people are protected against measles, 88% against mumps, and at least 97% against rubella.[7] The vaccine is also recommended for those who do not have evidence of immunity,[7] those with well-controlled HIV/AIDS,[10][11] and within 72 hours of exposure to measles among those who are incompletely immunized.[8] It is given by injection.[12]
The MMR vaccine is widely used around the world. Worldwide over 500 million doses were administered between 1999 and 2004,[13] and 575 million doses have been administered since the vaccine's introduction worldwide.[14] Measles resulted in 2.6 million deaths per year before immunization became common.[14] This has decreased to 122,000 deaths per year as of 2012,[update] mostly in low-income countries.[14] Through vaccination, as of 2018[update], rates of measles in North and South America are very low.[14] Rates of disease have been seen to increase in populations that go unvaccinated.[14] Between 2000 and 2018, vaccination decreased measles deaths by 73%.[15]
Side effects of immunization are generally mild and resolve without any specific treatment.[16] These may include fever, as well as pain or redness at the injection site.[16]Severe allergic reactions occur in about one in a million people.[16] Because it contains live viruses, the MMR vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy but may be given while breastfeeding.[7] The vaccine is safe to give at the same time as other vaccines.[16] Being recently immunized does not increase the risk of passing measles, mumps, or rubella on to others.[7] There is no evidence of an association between MMR immunisation and autistic spectrum disorders.[17][18][19] The MMR vaccine is a mixture of live weakened viruses of the three diseases.[7]
The MMR vaccine was developed by Maurice Hilleman.[6] It was licensed for use in the US by Merck in 1971.[20] Stand-alone measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines had been previously licensed in 1963, 1967, and 1969, respectively.[20][21] Recommendations for a second dose were introduced in 1989.[20] The MMRV vaccine, which also covers chickenpox, may be used instead.[7] An MR vaccine, without coverage for mumps, is also occasionally used.[22]
^ ab"Measles vaccines: WHO position paper – April 2017". Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (17): 205–227. April 2017. hdl:10665/255149. PMID28459148.
^"Administering MMR Vaccine". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 26 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference pmid 16528234 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Spencer JP, Trondsen Pawlowski RH, Thomas S (June 2017). "Vaccine Adverse Events: Separating Myth from Reality". American Family Physician. 95 (12): 786–794. PMID28671426.
^ abcGoodson JL, Seward JF (December 2015). "Measles 50 Years After Use of Measles Vaccine". Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 29 (4): 725–743. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2015.08.001. PMID26610423.