They have stopped making mumphs single vaccines --- arrrhh,....,what now?

[stressed2007]

Hi - hoping for some advice please. My son was going to have seperate jabs (as my daghter has). I have been told today for definite that Merck has now stopped manufacturing the mumphs single vaccine for at least the next 2 years and possibly indefinitely. So my daughter is due for 2nd seperate jabs soon (and she can only have 2 of the 3) and my son has only had the 1st measles jab. What do I do?

If I have him done sepearte jabs for measles and jabs now and aged 3 and he does not have mumphs pre puberty he will then need 2 mmrs at that stage I think (if the mumphs single vaccine has gone out of production) and then he wil have had measles jab 4 times! That can't be good.

Any advice from the innoculation queens on here?

Many thanks

[Chandra]

Contact Direct Health 2000? they used to import sep vax from different places.

[spicemonster]

I will be watching this thread as I'm in the same situation and I'm not sure what we do next.

Chandra - Merck is the only company that is licenced to produce the vaccine and they have stopped making it - there isn't anywhere else to import it from.

[stressed2007]

bumping for hopefully some great advice

[Singstar]

Just looked at Direct health 2000 website and it says they are looking at importing the vaccine from other sources but it needs to be licensed first. That was 'updated' in June 2009.

I'm in same situation as you Stressed, really don't know what to do but wait although its a frustratingly helpless wait !! And Direct 2000 have quite possibly the worst customer service ever in my opinion, which doesn't help !

[FabBakerGirlIsBack]

They haven't stopped, they are just running behind.

[stressed2007]

Spoke to healthchoice today and they were very helpful and sounded much more authoratative then anyone else I have spoken to. They said the people they know art merck have said mumphs vac will be back n production in September. Having spoken to them I am not gong mmr but am going to continue with single jabs on basis I feel singles will come back. I went back to Jabs. org site yesterday and reading some of the stories on there made me so scared. It reminded me what risks, in my opinion, I think there are with the MMR - I just cannot do it. I am going to wait.

[spicemonster]

stressed - am a bit confused now. You posted this on the other thread: "Just spoke to Merck in states - no plans to do anything for 2 years and then intend to start again if there is production capability and call for it (i.e. a big get out).

Incidentally they have stopped production of all their mono vaccines - not just mumps (also measles and rubella)"

so do you think the person you spoke to at Merck wasn't telling the truth? Because it seems to me (and forgive my cynicism) that the vendors of single vaccines here have rather a vested interest in telling people that they are going to restart production because they're going to lose an awful lot of money if parents decide to go for MMR rather than leave their child unvaccinated against mumps.

I'm still not at all sure what I should do now I have a child who is unvaccinated against mumps which is not what I wanted.

[stressed2007]

The woman at Merk at their customer service knew nothing when I calld and then basically read me off something she found on a scren. She effectively was reading off their website as I could do.

Subsequent to this I spoke to the other lady at a clinic. She sounded very authoratative, caring and told me what she knew and she is convinced there will be production soon. She of course could be wrong but she was giving me her opinion on the situation. She just works at a clinic - she does n't own it - it makes no difference to her what I do.

You of course must decide for yourself what you are going to do. My son is 18 months and there is no way I would even think about giving him the MMR if ever before he was 2 1/2. This gives me until next year to see if the vacs start being produced again. It appears that the clinic I was using (who are now offering no further single vacs) was the only one who was prepasred to give the measles vac with a 3 month gap - all others have said a year before they would give the 2nd measles jab so there is nothing I could do for another 9 months anyway so for me it is a sit and wait job.

How old is your chid and what sex? Depending on this you may have time to wait for vac to be produced again without your child being at bad risk?

[spicemonster]

Ah okay, that makes sense. I'm still a bit dubious though ...

My DS is nearly 2 1/2. I don't know what to do. I guess I will wait to see what happens re Merck (the woman at my clinic told me that at some point they will lose their exclusivity licence). If it hasn't been resolved by the time he starts school, I guess I'll give him the MMR booster and hope for the best.

[Frizbe]

Oh that's a pain, dd2 was due her mumps booster, the clinic said they couldn't get hold of any at the moment, but nothing more than that! eh well, the 2nd booster did actually give dd1 a reaction though I guess its not too much of a problem for dd2, as she's a girl, huge pain for the boys though.

[MrsSeanBean]

My ds is 2. He has had single measles and rubella vaccines but no mumps as it was' unavailable'. As far as we heard, it was going to become available, there would just be a delay.

I guess if not, we will have to consider giving him the MMR booster. I know mumps is more serious for a boy, but I was never vaccinated against mumps, in fact I had mumps as a child and it was not exactly pleasant but not a big deal either.

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

It might be worth getting an antibody titre to see whether he's had mumps anyway - there's quite a lot around in young adults so it's circulating, and in a third of cases it's asymptomatic in children.

Because complications in children are so rare you might feel you don't need to worry until puberty (by which time there might be something else out there). Single mealses is being reintroduced to the States apparently so it may well follow.

[spicemonster]

Thanks turnip, good advice. I am not very good when my GP (who is the one in charge of vaccines at my surgery unfortunately) gives me her beady eye about it. If they're going to make it in the US then it will come here - that's the only place it's manufactured.

I will wait until he's a bit older. Providing of course they don't change the law and make him show a certificate of vaccination before he starts school

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

Don't worry about that, they can't - it contravenes human rights and there are laws about that now . Even in the States where they bang on about it being compulsory I know a lot of people who haven't given vaccinations - they just register a philosophical or religious objection (which is the bit protected under human rights apparently).

[stressed2007]

So it looks like we all have a bit of a wait to see. How about if one of us are told by our clinic it is back we CAT each other so we all know? I will contact you as and when I hear anything. Spicemonster what clinic are you with?

[spicemonster]

Good idea stressed. My DS had his jabs at Wellcare