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Original poster

Should adults 40+ have a measles vaccine?

90 replies

Northernsoullover · 23/10/2019 22:58

I was listening to a really interesting podcast today about measles. I was feeling all virtuous for having vaccinated my children (because mine were young when the Wakefield nonsense hit the headlines and I was initially in doubt) when it dawned on me..
I have never had a measles vaccine. I am of the age where girls were taken to one side and given the rubella as a single vaccine.
I have had a Google and it says MMR started around 1988. Therefore I assume there are thousands of unprotected adults floating around.
I'd be interested to know if anyone else has ever worried about this? Can you ask a GP for it?
If anyone is interested in listening to the podcast I'll pop a link up.
I'd also be interested to hear from any HCPs regarding adults and measles. I know I have had rubella (aka German measles) and mumps but I definitely not suffered measles.

OP posts:
OP posts:
Original poster
Northernsoullover · 23/10/2019 23:00

Thats one big link! Confused

OP posts:
Thehagonthehill · 23/10/2019 23:06

Most adults over 50 are usually immune.I know I had measles as a child and my brother and sister.I didn't have chicken pox but am immune to it probably through contact.So you're right there may be 40-50 yr olds not immune.
The group that needs targeting though are the 18+ age group who weren't immunised by their parents.There are lots of cases of mumps in unis and those students won't be immunised against measles either.

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General health
FadedRed · 23/10/2019 23:08

Single measles vaccine started in UK in 1968, so you almost certainly had at least one dose if you are now in your 40’s. It was the MMR that started in 1988.

Brackish · 23/10/2019 23:10

Well, have you had measles? I recently got the chickenpox vaccine privately for my seven year old and me because I’ve never had it and he’s somehow avoided it so far, despite it having done the rounds more than once at school.

Chocolatecake12 · 23/10/2019 23:11

I had it the mmr last year when I started my new job in the nhs. I’m in my 40’s and the nurse said I almost probably wasn’t vaccinated against measles.

Original poster
Northernsoullover · 23/10/2019 23:16

No I've never had measles. So they were a routine childhood vaccine were they?
I'm such a worrier. The podcast was really interesting. Did you know that measles can live in the air for up to two hours after an infectious person has vacated the room? It also wipes your existing immune system so you have to rebuild it from scratch. Therefore after having measles you can be susceptible lots of illness until you build it up again (I think I remembered that correctly but by all means listen Wink)

OP posts:
minniemoll · 23/10/2019 23:17

I was born in 1970, and I recently got my mum to fish out my childhood vacation record - measles wasn't on the printed list but it had been added by hand at the bottom, which reassured me!

instaglum · 23/10/2019 23:18

OP, if you haven't had it, get the vaccine. It's awful to get this disease.

Boopeedoop · 23/10/2019 23:29

I am a carer in the community. I'm 41 and haven't been vaccinated as my mum didn't believe in vaccinating children. (I vaccinated both of mine)!
Guess I'd better get booked in!

Ginfordinner · 23/10/2019 23:29

I had measles as a child. I have crap eyesight and poor hearing in one ear.

PickAChew · 23/10/2019 23:31

I'm 50 and had the single measles vaccine as a child.

I'm probably fucked if mumps does the rounds again, mind.

BackforGood · 23/10/2019 23:32

I was born in the 60s. We were all vaccinated against measles.

(By 'we' I mean 'my siblings and I - not claiming to know about every person born in the 60s Grin)

instaglum · 23/10/2019 23:41

Do it, Boop. You're the same age as me, our rural community had measles in the early 80's, I know it damaged hearing of at least three people, me included.

Graphista · 23/10/2019 23:48

Erm...I think you’ll find there was measles vaccination before the mmr was introduced. I’m 47 and I’ve been vaccinated

https://publichealthengland.exposure.co/50-years-of-measles-vaccination-in-the-uk

I had to dig out all my vaccination records when I did my nurse training which as an army brat was a pita! But it was fascinating in some ways, eg I discovered I’d had my bcg as a baby! I’d been off sick when they did them at school and parents made mutterings about organising for me to catch up on that vaccination but we also moved the next month and it got forgotten for a while and then the next gp simply told them it wasn’t necessary but apparently never explained why which was weird!

I think mumps vaccination started in 1963

So if you’re older than 56 and have never had mumps MAYBE it might be worth looking into.

Ask your gp.

That said I was vaccinated for whooping cough too (there was a scare on this in early 70’s linking it to sids - since disproved much like the Wakefield nonsense) but a few years ago got hit with a dose, apparently SOME people of my age and older unfortunately the immunisation wears off slightly and we’re prone to whooping cough as a result, apparently more likely to happen to those of us with the common allergy triple - hay fever asthma and eczema - which I am one of. Had trouble with my lungs all my life! But yes the whooping cough did give me quite a fright as you get into these fits where your coughing breath out over and over again and can’t pause long enough to get a breath in! Quite scary!

AmethystWoodstar · 23/10/2019 23:50

I had the measles vaccine before I started school in 1980. I even remember it.

GrumpyHoonMain · 23/10/2019 23:50

Measles vaccinations were compulsory back in the day so I would be shocked if you weren’t vaccinated.

AllFourOfThem · 23/10/2019 23:51

I’m in my forties and have been vaccinated. I’m not sure how many or what ages but I remember the final one being at secondary school. It was a single vaccine then. I had mumps as a child.

AlunWynsKnee · 23/10/2019 23:56

I'm 49. I had a measles vaccination as a child and I had an MMR booster a couple of years ago.

stucknoue · 24/10/2019 00:02

You will have had the single measles vaccine at 18 months and a booster before you started school (plus a sugar cube with polio vaccine)

Gingerkittykat · 24/10/2019 00:03

I'm early 40s and had measles as a child, was the vaccine in Scotland?

I was pretty ill which is exactly why I got my own DC vaccinated.

MyNameIsAlexDrake · 24/10/2019 00:05

I was born in 1975 and the only thing my mum didn't vaccinate me against was Whopping Cough, I think because it was a relatively new vaccine then?

I got whopping cough aged about 7yrs and was so ill I missed about 3 months of school. My mum told me as an adult she felt terrible about me getting whooping cough but that there were lots of scare stories doing the rounds about that vaccine at the time.

I was definitely given the measles vaccine though (though did get German measles but I believe that's totally different). And a single rubella at school.

stucknoue · 24/10/2019 00:05

Also diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus as a baby. There's a few more and they have rolled them into one vaccine now, kids were like pin cushions back when we were young. Mumps is the main common missing one but most kids caught it, I remember having it

IamPickleRick · 24/10/2019 00:07

My DH did not have one, he is 45. He had one last year as a mother brought her child to playgroup with full blown measles (I know for a fact he had been sent home from his nursery and public health England were informed and sending out warning letters to parents of children who had been in contact, at least 5 days prior to her bringing him to playgroup, because my friends child is at the nursery). Angry

The kids all had to have emergency shots even if they had just had them, or early if they hadn’t.

DH took the precaution to have his because he is a teacher, and PHE agreed it was a good idea. He barely felt it, it was fine.

DramaAlpaca · 24/10/2019 00:08

I was born in 1964 & my records show that I had all the vaccinations available at the time. I even had the smallpox one & have a scar on my upper arm to prove it. The measles vaccination wasn't available until 1968 & I didn't have that. I did catch measles & for me it was very mild, as was chicken pox. I never had mumps, but expect hope that at my age I'm immune. My DC have had every vaccination going, except chicken pox & they all caught that & were extremely spotty but not unwell, thank goodness.