Teenage dc who had single mmr vaccinations

[Hellvelyn]

My dc were born in 2002 and 2004 at the height of the concerns about the combined mmr vaccinations. They had single vaccinations and the doctor told us there would be no need for a booster before school as the single vaccs are more effective. Fast forward 16 years and the concerns have been discredited and measles is on the rise, particularly amongst teenagers as many weren't vaccinated at all.
I started wondering whether my dc ought to have a booster as I can't find any evidence that the single vaccs actually are more effective and I want to make sure they are both protected. I contacted my surgery who gave them both the mmr booster this week. However, the Practice Nurse said that because their single vaccs weren't given as part of the usual NHS vaccinations regime, they will need a second booster next month, but she didn't seem overly sure.
This feels a bit excessive. I don't want them having unnecessary jabs, particularly as my dd gets anxious and upset about them.
What have other parents of dcs who had the single vaccinations done? I'm a bit confused....

The booster is solely to capture those who didn't get immunity first time round, it doesn't boost the effect. They can have a blood test to check if they are immune but you'd probably have to pay for it

I only had one of mine as a child. I had a blood test done which said I wasn’t immune, so had to have two as an adult for my uni course (nhs). I would have only needed one if it wasn’t for my course, apparently.

The first jab is meant to provide immunity for something like 95% of people so if they don’t need it for a job or a uni course I’d be inclined to leave it and steer clear of any known mumps and measles outbreaks.

DD1 had the single jabs at 13-18 months, then one MMR booster at 4. We're now in the US where they are very hot on checking that children are vaccinated before they're allowed to attend school, camp, college, etc, and all those organisations have been satisfied with DD's vaccination history.

I have a feeling I've read that the mumps immunity from the MMR is lower than 95% I think, more like the 80s. But I'm not sure how much the second dose increases that figure. Mumps outbreaks do seem to happen - I've heard of several students (including on mn!) getting it, so that is something to bear in mind as well.

OP, could you ask the practice nurse to check with the manufacturers what their advice is - they will sometimes do this if you have a non-standard vax history.

Practice Nurse here. Practice Nurses follow Department of Health advice regarding vaccine schedules.

Current advice is a second MMR one month later regardless of single vaccine history.

You cannot have immunity blood testing on the NHS but could possibly source this privately. You need to consider the trauma of a blood test if your daughter gets anxious, especially as she may then need a second injection if not immune.

Practice Nurses are not responsible for contacting manufacturers of privately given vaccines to see what their recommendations are for boosting, parents need to do this themselves.

Given the current epidemic of measles, I would encourage you to think of the second MMR as a necessary vaccine rather than an unnecessary one

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I wish they'd just had the MMR when they were little but I suppose you do what you think is best at the time. This has made me realise how many teenagers are out there either unvaccinated or with dubious immunity due to having just the single vaccs and no booster.

Ah - i see the NHS website says mumps immunity is 90 - 95% after two doses - not sure where I read the 80s figure. It does also say the mumps immunity seems to decline over several years. University seems to be one of the risk times for getting mumps - have heard of several students affected by it.

I'm encouraging DH to get the MMR. I had it at 38 so that I could emigrate. Neither of us had either the vaccinations or the diseases as children - we're in that weird in-between group.

I’ve had three MMR by mistake via the NHS , GP called me at 16 to have one (in 2007) , realised later it wasn't really needed but having an extra dose hasn’t done me any harm . They didn’t think it would make me any more immune though .

My youngest had single jabs then 2 MMR boosters at the age of 13.

The only way you can truly check immunity is through blood tests which are far more unpleasant needle wise than the MMR.

(I know this because I have had rubella immunity tests and then (when I failed it) two doses of the MMR.)

NHS recommend 2x MMR vaccinations. One dose gives approx 70% protection rising to approx 95% after two doses.

As @takemetomars said they can be given 4w apart (no less than 28 days)

Single antigen vaccines are no longer available. You're right about doing what you thought was best at the time, I know a lot of parents did the same.

I am too old to have had MMR in childhood as it wasn't invented at the time but did need 2x MMRs when starting an NHS post. Probably like yourself I had a measles vaccine as a baby and a rubella vaccine as teen.

I know that getting vaccinations can be stressful for young people, but getting the wild form of the viruses contained would be more uncomfortable and potentially much more painful than getting the jab itself.

Measles is on the rise in the UK, as is mumps - you're right to be concerned, especially as your DC are at the ages where they could be mixing with under or non vaccinated peers.

Hope this helps, good luck 😉

DS had his first when he was a baby or whenever they get them as I can't remember

there were a lot of measles cases about when he went off to Uni so he got the top up from our GP
Gave me great piece of mind that he was protected

Thanks everyone. I will book them in for a second MMR. Was a bit worried I might get flamed for doing single jabs and no boosters. Andrew Wakefield (is that his name?) has a lot to answer for.

You did what you thought was best at the time and you're doing the same thing now. So you're good. And also you aren't an anti-vaxxer - they tend to get most of the flak on MN deservedly.

You did what YOU thought was right, but that was never what was recommended by the NHS, in fact the NHS specifically advised NOT to give the single vaccine - I know because I have a child the same age as yours. Why did you think you knew better than the NHS?

I'm glad you're sorting this out now but not very comfortable that so many people are telling you it's ok because you thought it was the right thing to do at the time. Anti-vaxxers think they're doing the right thing too.

I think OP made a decision based on what she thought was the best course of action at that time. I can remember the scary headlines and am so relieved that Wakefield was discredited - however, mud sticks and vaccine hesitancy still exists.

It was a difficult choice to make and as a PP said OP was not anti vax.

Something was better than nothing and now it's proven that triple antigen vaccine is both safe and effective OP is taking steps to ensure maximum protection for DC.