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Covid

Could the MMR be protective against COVID19?

31 replies

Kokeshi123 · 23/05/2020 10:42

www.researchgate.net/publication/341354165_MMR_Vaccine_Appears_to_Confer_Strong_Protection_from_COVID-19_Few_Deaths_from_SARS-CoV-2_in_Highly_Vaccinated_Populations

This has NOT been peer reviewed yet, but: "Published epidemiological data suggests a correlation between patients who receive measles-rubella containing vaccines such as the commonly available MMR vaccine, and reduced COVID-19 death rate. Similar observations were recently noted in a Cambridge Study by Young et al, who noted protein homology between the COVID-19 virus and the rubella virus, corroborating the evidence in this report. The epidemiologic associations suggest that a measles-rubella containing vaccine, as currently produced, may be protective against severe disease and death from COVID-19 exposure."

Could be part of the reason why children seem relatively resistant to the virus. All very speculative so far, but it might be worth keeping an eye on, in any case. If nothing else, another reason to give children their vaccines on schedule!

It may be the rubella bit of the vaccine that gives protection, if this vaccine indeed turns out to have some protective effect.

There is also some speculation that widespread recent MMR vaccination (of adults as well as children) in American Samoa earlier this year, may have helped protect the region from COVID19. Perhaps a very recent vaccination gives the most protective effect.

More discussion here:

www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/11/2030880/0/en/Madagascar-Zero-COVID-19-Deaths-After-MMR-Vaccine-Given-to-26-of-Population-in-2019-According-to-World-Organization.html

(if that link does not work, try this one)

<a class="break-all" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vxOsk0jiVnYJ:www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/10/2030695/0/en/No-COVID-19-Cases-After-Measles-Campaign-with-MMR-Vaccine-in-American-Samoa-According-to-World-Organization.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=jp" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vxOsk0jiVnYJ:www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/10/2030695/0/en/No-COVID-19-Cases-After-Measles-Campaign-with-MMR-Vaccine-in-American-Samoa-According-to-World-Organization.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=jp

OP posts:
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Ginfordinner · 23/05/2020 10:46

It would be fantastic if something as simple as that could help. I wonder what the anti vaxxers would make of it?

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Kokeshi123 · 23/05/2020 10:53

Yes, so much for "We are vaccinating against too many things and overloading children's systems....."

The overall impression I'm getting from this plague is, the more vaccines the better!

OP posts:
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WelcomeToTheNorth · 23/05/2020 11:04

The irony if this was true.

Anti-vaxxers make my blood boil. It’s neglect.

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user1471530109 · 23/05/2020 11:08

Would also link to why men are likely to be worse effected. Is it common in other countries to vaccinate girls against rubella?
I had rubella when a kid and had the vaccine.

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iVampire · 23/05/2020 11:09

Interesting correlation

Rubella BAC was first rolled out in 1969, and in UK was typically administered in schools based programmes to girls aged about 12

Boys did not receive it until MMR rolled out in the 1980s

Sort of fits with age/sex death rates

But I don’t see how it fits with those who became immune via the disease itself.

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PastMyBestBeforeDate · 23/05/2020 11:15

IVampire they didn't care whether you had had it when they did the jab. I had Rubella and the jab. And an MMR booster a couple of years ago.

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Dilbertian · 23/05/2020 11:33

How does this mesh with the low infection rate and low mortality rate in infants who have not yet had the MMR?

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SudokuBook · 23/05/2020 11:34

Would also link to why men are likely to be worse effected. Is it common in other countries to vaccinate girls against rubella?
I had rubella when a kid and had the vaccine.


It made me wonder too if the rubella vaccine could be a factor in why older men are worse affected. When I was at school only girls got rubella vaccine. I don’t think boys got vaccinated against it til MMR. Apparently the novel Coronavirus has 30% similarly to the rubella virus?

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FindMy · 23/05/2020 12:36

@Dilbertian maternal antibodies.

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NoRoomInBed · 23/05/2020 12:42

I had a rubella injection not long ago as i showed no immunity so this would be great news for me. Hope it's something as simple as this.

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Ginfordinner · 23/05/2020 12:49

How does this mesh with the low infection rate and low mortality rate in infants who have not yet had the MMR?

Maybe the parents of such young babies are being more careful with lockdown?

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PicsInRed · 23/05/2020 12:50

IIRC, women are routinely tested for rubella antibodies (at least in NZ) when TTC or pregnant and vaccinated again if immunity is found to have waned.

Perhaps this is part of why women are doing better (in addition to older men not previously receiving rubella vaccines). Even if a young woman's vaccine borne immunity reduces over time, this is caught with pre/peri natal screening and topped up with a booster.

Very interesting thread, thanks OP.

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Dilbertian · 23/05/2020 12:50

IIRC from when mine were babies, maternal antibodies start dropping very soon after birth, and are not replenished except by breastfeeding. And even then only if the mother is immune by virtue of having had the illness, immunity conferred by immunisation is not transmitted in breastmilk.

However, I don't have anything to back this up! There was a measles outbreak in my area when dc2 was under 1yo. At the time the first dose of MMR was given at 2y old. My HV told me that dc 2 was safe as I was still breastfeeding her and I had had measles as a child.

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feelingverylazytoday · 23/05/2020 12:53

This rumour surfaced a few weeks ago. It would be wonderful if it's true.

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Dilbertian · 23/05/2020 12:56

Not arguing against this theory BTW just trying to understand it - and a bit of Devil's Advocate helps.

Is there any difference in how long the immunity generated by having a disease lasts compared to that generated by being immunised against it? Because most of the older people getting Covid may not have been immunised, but would be highly likely to have had measles or rubella as children. So they should be immune, too. That's why these were always considered illnesses of childhood.

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PleasantVille · 23/05/2020 13:02

How does this mesh with the low infection rate and low mortality rate in infants who have not yet had the MMR?

It doesn't have to, one thing could be preventative even if it doesn't apply to all, there could be many different risk lowering things the fact that small babeies don't have the MMr jab neither proves or disproves anything.

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Ginfordinner · 23/05/2020 13:27

Good point Dilbertian. I predate the MMR and had both measles and German measles as a child, then had the rubella jab at 13.

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cathyandclare · 23/05/2020 13:56

Very interesting article. I think just girls were given the Rubella jab at 12-13 in the pre-MMR days. Which, as well as the pregnancy checks, could perhaps explain the increased vulnerability in men.

The problem with rubella is that it's a very non-specific and mild illness, very much like the sort of things that get described as a viral rash in kids today. So, unlike measles which is distinctive, people who think they've had it may well not have.

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firstmentat · 23/05/2020 13:58

Almost every vaccination, especially with a Iive vaccine, will trigger a non-specific immunity boost. I think this is a very well known and proven medical fact.

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Ginfordinner · 23/05/2020 14:00

Almost every vaccination, especially with a Iive vaccine, will trigger a non-specific immunity boost. I think this is a very well known and proven medical fact.

An anti vaxxer won't believe you.

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ladypete · 23/05/2020 15:00

(Offtopic and lighthearted)

It didn’t even protect me from mumps so I doubt it Grin

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iVampire · 23/05/2020 15:34

IVampire they didn't care whether you had had it when they did the jab. I had Rubella and the jab

That wasn’t quite what I meant!

I meant that those who were over 13ish in 1969 did not have the jab, but the overwhelming majority would be immune because the disease did the rounds every few years during their childhoods.

And I can’t quite see why immunity from the vaccination strain would make a difference to CV but immunity from wild disease wouldn’t

And that is why I don’t quite see how it all fits

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LilQueenie · 23/05/2020 15:44

all the elderly who had these diseases as children still got covid bad. doesn't fit this at all. So no I don't there is truth in this at all. a lie to get mmr uptake maybe.

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SudokuBook · 23/05/2020 15:46

a lie to get mmr uptake maybe

Biscuit

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mangocoveredlamb · 23/05/2020 15:52

@LilQueenie maybe it’s something about the vaccination that isn’t replicated if you’ve had the disease? )(I have no idea if that’s even a thing!)

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