Seperate MMR vaccines and now due booster - any advice?

[fucksticks]

DS1 had seperate MMR vaccines.
I was worried about links to autism as autism runs in my family - now feel ok about it due to more recent research showing no links.
In fact so ok about it that DS2 had the combined MMR yesterday (eek)

DS1 is due the pre-school MMR booster.
I asked the nurse yesterday if he would be ok to have the combined booster after having the inital jabs seperately.
She said yes, absolutely fine BUT he would need two boosters to be considered 'fully covered'
I tried to question her further but thats all she really said.

I assume she means 'fully covered' in terms of 'reported as fully covered in NHS statistics' as his original seperate vaccines will not show up in these statistics.
I'm pretty sure he doesnt need two boosters to be actually physically fully covered against contracting the diseases? I thought that the seperate ones actually gave more coverage than combined?

Can anyone advise me? Whats the best thing to do??

[fucksticks]

[burningupinspeed]

I am not an expert and know very little but to me that sounds like overkill, that would be giving three times the vaccination when he might even be protected - any chance of checking his immunity?

[Babbity]

DoH green book says you need the MMR twice. It's particularly the mumps single which is not considered adequate.

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

We are doing this at the moment but have only been told that she needs the booster once.

[fucksticks]

I cant work my way round that DoH link, too much info!! but thank you for info re mumps single.

Am worried now. Not sure what to do. No point in giving him combined booster if it wont be enough, but dont want to give him TWO boosters if he doesnt need them!

Is there a way of testing immunity? How would you go about that does anyone know?

[Babbity]

If he's immune the "unnecessary" components won't affect him. It's like exposing someone who's already had chickenpox to chickenpox. They're immune, so the components won't have any effect IYSWIM.

[Babbity]

(I've had two MMRs as the first didn't get my rubella level up to adequate levels pre-pregnancy)

[fucksticks]

So basically one booster may not be good enough.
Two WILL be good enough and even if its overkill and one would have been ok, two will do no harm at all?

So NHS lady was right and I should get him two after all I guess....
I honestly didnt expect that - was thinkingit was a statistics thing. Good job I checked!!!
Thanks

[silverfrog]

you can get immunity checked - it's a simple blood test, but you would prob have to pay for it.

alternatively, you could give hime MMr booster, and then check to see whether a second booster was needed.

[Babbity]

exactly - the rationale being the MMR is the gold standard for each component - I was given it only to get my rubella levels to safe levels - the fact that I know I'm now almost certainly immune to measles and mumps (having not had any of these vax as a child) is a nice bonus for me.

Similarly they use diptheria/tetanus/polio immunisations for tetanus boosters in adults as it's the current best way of boosting your tetanus immunity - you're prob already immune to diphtheria and polio from your primary course, so they're not relevant.

[DollyPardonme]

This is interesting. DS had the single first vaccines as I was worried about MMR/autism etc. He was due MMR right in the middle of controversy. He's now 7.

I hadn't really thought about the boosters but would have had them done separately just for consistency. Then we went to our GPs for his other jab (I think polio or hep - can't remember what it was but just routine) and the daft old practice nurse whammed two shots into him. Turned out she hadn't read the notes and had given the MMR booster as a matter of course.

I had assumed that DS would be immune as he'd had the first jabs and then a booster. I didn't raise it with the surgery as the jab could hardly be removed from DS at this point and isn't likely to have harmed him. Guess I should raise this now, not in a get the old dear way, but to ensure that he is covered and what against. Oh dear.

[BananaFruitBat]

DS had singles and only had to have a measles booster. We went back to the doctor who did the original jabs.