MMR (MEASLES, MUMPS AND RUBELLA)

Important:Be aware of anti-vaccine stories

Anti-vaccine stories are often spread online through social media and offline.

Always get your vaccine and health information from trusted sources, such as the NHS or World Health Organisation (WHO).

The vaccine information on social media may not be based on scientific evidence and could put your child at risk of a serious illness.

All the current evidence tells us that getting vaccinated is safer than not getting vaccinated.

Things you need to know about vaccines

Vaccines:

Do

• help to protect you and your child from many serious and potentially deadly diseases
• protect other people in your family and community – by helping to stop diseases spreading to people who cannot have vaccines, such as babies too young to be vaccinated and those who are too ill to be vaccinated
• undergo rigorous safety testing before being introduced – they’re also constantly monitored for side effects after being introduced
• sometimes cause mild side effects that will not last long – you may feel a bit unwell and have a sore arm for 2 or 3 days
• reduce or even get rid of some diseases – if enough people are vaccinated

Don’t

• do not overload or weaken the immune system – it's safe to give children and adults several vaccines at a time and this reduces the amount of injections needed
• do not contain mercury (thiomersal)
• do not contain any ingredients that cause harm – only ingredients essential to making them safer and more effective and only in very small amounts
• do not cause autism – studies have found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism

Why vaccines are important

Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent millions of deaths worldwide every year.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or are now very rarely seen.

Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have reduced to a very low number of cases each year since vaccines were introduced. These cases are often related to travel.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.

Information:

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the biggest threats to global health.

Measles and mumps in England

Measles and mumps are starting to appear again in England, even though the MMR vaccine is the best protection against both diseases.

Measles cases nearly doubled between 2016 and 2018.

Mumps cases tripled between 2018 and 2020.

This is serious as measles can lead to life-threatening complications like meningitis, and mumps can cause hearing loss.

Important

If 95% of children receive the MMR vaccine, this would stop measles spreading completely.

However, measles, mumps and rubella can quickly spread again if fewer than 90% of people are vaccinated.

Everyone should be up to date with their routine vaccinations to give them the best protection.

How vaccines work

Vaccines teach your immune system how to create antibodies that protect you from diseases.

It's much safer for your immune system to learn this through vaccination than by catching the diseases and treating them.

Once your immune system knows how to fight a disease, it can often give you life long protection.

Herd immunity

Having a vaccine also benefits your whole community through "herd immunity".

If enough people are vaccinated, it's harder for the disease to spread to those people who cannot have vaccines. For example, people who are ill or have a weakened immune system.

Information:

Read more about herd immunity and who it protects on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website

Vaccine safety

All vaccines are thoroughly tested to make sure they will not harm you or your child.

It often takes many years for a vaccine to make it through the trials and tests it needs to pass for approval.

Once a vaccine is being used in the UK it's also monitored for any rare side effects by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is also carefully monitored to make sure it still works.

Anyone can report a suspected side effect of vaccination to the MHRA through the Yellow Card Scheme.

Information:

Read about how vaccines are licensed, tested and monitored on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website

CONTACT THE SURGERY TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE MMR VACCINE, OR TO BOOK A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION WITH A MEMBER OF OUR NURSING TEAM TO DISCUSS ANY ASPECT OF VACCINATION