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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:
dementedpixie · 24/10/2019 08:26

You'd get the MMR to cover against measles rather than a single vaccine

WellTidy · 24/10/2019 08:28

I was born in Wales in 1975. I didn’t have the measles vaccine, or mumps vaccine or rubella vaccine. Doctor advised that I didn’t have the rubella vaccine when I was 12yo due to epilepsy in the family.

I had measles as a child. Never had rubella or mumps. When we were contemplating children, I had the MMR.

BasinHaircut · 24/10/2019 08:42

I’m 36 and had my first dose of MMR last week. I had measles as a baby, before I was old enough for the vaccine so wasn’t vaccinated. I realise that means I’m probably immune, and I know I’m rubella immune as I’ve had it and they checked during pregnancy, but never had mumps vaccine at all.

We’ve lost our elimination status in the UK which means measles is making a significant comeback, and I’m travelling to Australia later this year which also has a high rate measles, so as I’m eligible for it I thought why not!

I have no idea whether you can get measles again but why take the chance when there is a vaccine out there?

Get it done OP.

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General health
meditrina · 24/10/2019 08:51

You need to be well over 50 to have been older than the vax - the first effective measles jab on NHS was rolled out in 1968. Measles vaccination did not begin with MMR, and the single jab remained available on NHS until 1997, when it lapsed for admin reasons (never any concerns about its effectiveness)

NHS current 'catch up' policy stipulates that those born before 1970 will have had the wild disease, so they are not included.

Those born after can have MMR on request if they are unsure of their vaccination status. Either single or combined jab on NHS. 'counts' IYSWIM as properly immunised.

mindutopia · 24/10/2019 08:54

It’s very likely you will be non immune to something in the MMR. Most of had either single vaccinations or 1 dose MMR as teens.

I recently found out I was non immune to measles and I had to have a 2 dose course of the MMR (due to work in the NHS). It was free for me because it was an occupational health issue, but it’s definitely worth considering and paying privately if it’s a concern.

scaevola · 24/10/2019 09:15

MMR catch up is free for everyone at the moment (funding until at least March 2020 for NHS, England at least and I think everywhere)

So if you are unsure of your vax status, ask whoever does the jabs clinics at your GP practice to check and arrange the jab.

OneForTheRoadThen · 24/10/2019 09:19

I'm 39 and when I was pregnant recently the midwife was shocked that I hadn't had the MMR. They didn't do it in my day! I have had mumps and rubella as a child though so I'm immune to both and remember having the measles jab at school - it's possible you did too if we are similar ages?

BercowsFlyingFlamingo · 24/10/2019 12:53

I'm 43 and had my MMRs a few months back. I'd asked my GP to check my records and she arranged for me to have the vaccines. No issues with getting them or side effects.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 24/10/2019 12:56

I had the measles as a kid. Most of us did. Highly likely you will be immune.

Controversial I know, but I think getting the disease naturally prob gives better and longer immunity than than the vaccine. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t opt for private chicken pox vaccine for my kids. It would wear off in a couple of decades leaving them not immune when maybe trying for kids

mindutopia · 24/10/2019 13:05

It's also important to know that even if you did have the jab as a child, there's no guarantee you'll have immunity as an adult. This is why they test for rubella immunity in pregnancy. I did have the MMR as a child. I still wasn't immune to measles. Our children's generation will be doing the same with chicken pox as the growth in varicella vaccination now means there will be more non-immune adults in 20/30 years (no guarantee of lifelong immunity with the chicken pox jab).

This is no problem with some illnesses that mostly affect children. But it becomes an issue when adult infections can have serious consequences - like birth defects and miscarriage for rubella and chicken pox - or when there is a simmering epidemic - as is now the case with measles.

ErrolTheDragon · 24/10/2019 13:10

NHS current 'catch up' policy stipulates that those born before 1970 will have had the wild disease, so they are not included.

DH had his MMR (two doses) earlier this year, privately. We're both 58 - whereas I'd had mumps and measles and the rubella jab, he'd had none of them (they only vaccinated teenage girls for rubella in our era). Whether he was exposed to any or all of these diseases (which is presumably what the above means?) there's no way to know. There's no downside to having the vacc done if you're naturally immune, and big upside if you're not immune.

alislim · 24/10/2019 13:47

Earlier on this year my GP contacted people who had missed out on the mmr jab when they were younger. Said they were working their way through the patients. Give them a call.
Also someone said earlier about not being able to get a single measles jab. I'm sure my friend paid privately to have them all done separately as she didn't want to have it all done together. Could be wrong though. X

JellyfishAndShells · 24/10/2019 13:58

I had measles when I was a child - mid 60s, UK. Other friends had it at well at the same but it was definitely not just regarded as ‘one of those childhood things’ as I saw it referred to once. Some were taken to hospital for care, I had the GP visit frequently, the district nurse coming in daily and my grandmother coming to stay to help my mother give me cooling bed baths to try and keep my temperature down. I still remember having fever driven hallucinations - my quite ornate wall paper had people on it and they seemed to come alive.

ChittyChittyBoomBoom · 24/10/2019 13:59

I had the mmr last month, 2 injections a month apart. I was offered it by the nurse at our surgery as apparently I’m within the age group who weren’t vaccinated.

Xenia · 24/10/2019 14:03

I had one in the 1960s. That may be because my father was a doctor so we had all the vaccinations going but yet people over 40 may well have had them - I am in my 50s.

timshelthechoice · 24/10/2019 14:10

DH is 45 and have MMR last year for free on the NHS. He had never had measles or mumps.

Personally I think they should booster pre-teens and teens even if they had two MMRs as babies/children.

ExhaustionSIeep · 24/10/2019 14:22

My mum was anti vaccination and my gp has told me I have to have one but I need to check with her what I’ve had but she won’t tell me !!!

ExhaustionSIeep · 24/10/2019 14:23

I know I’ve had mumps as remember it but I sure about others although my rubella immunity was checked in pregnancy
I had to have catch ups of others like tetanus and whooping cough etc when I went (secretly) to the gp aged 16 I was so terrified of getting caught

Frith2013 · 24/10/2019 14:41

I didn’t have the measles vaccine (or most others - don’t ask...) and caught it aged 15. I honestly felt like I was going to die, with secondary ear and chest infections.

That’s really in answer to a PP who thinks it’s “better to catch it”. No, it isn’t.

To another PP - at no point has it been compulsory to vaccinate against it.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 24/10/2019 14:46

My point is that lifelong immunity is preferable to waning immunity from a vaccine.

user1480880826 · 24/10/2019 14:48

Most people over the age of 50 are not immune to measles unless they have been vaccinated or were unfortunate enough to have measles as a child @Thehagonthehill.

If you’re sure you haven’t had the vaccine then I would strongly recommend that you get it. We rely on herd immunity and the souring rates of measles in this country and due to the percentage coverage from the vaccine plummeting in recent years.

pinkhousesarebest · 24/10/2019 14:51

I live in France and it is advised that you have a booster every 20 years. The doctor was askance when I told him I had’t had A vaccine since I was at school.

Caspianberg · 24/10/2019 14:58

I feel like many people won't be immune to something they have been vaccinated against.

I had doctors visit this morning due to pregnancy to look over blood tests. It came back that i have no immunity to Rubella, but am immune to measles and mumps. I had the MMR vaccine as a child. Therefore i will have to have another MMR next year after baby is born (and try to avoid anyone who has rubella in the meantime- no idea how you do that)

Also overseas here, and the doctor was surprised i hadn't been checked before and a booster given. (you can have bloods checked every 5 years here as routine)

HoldMyLobster · 24/10/2019 15:05

I'm 50 but was not born in the UK, and I've no idea what vaccines I had as a baby/child other than smallpox. I had BCG at secondary school - I do remember that.

I had to have the MMRV to immigrate to the US, and I've since had the DTP because whooping cough was going around locally and the doc said it was a good idea to have a booster.

So I think I'm good, but if I hadn't had them within memory I think I'd get them again.

Reminds me - DH probably should have an MMR. He was not born in the UK either.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 24/10/2019 15:05

I keep meaning to organise an MMR. I was born in 1977 but had a load of febrile convulsions as an infant so wasn't immunised against anything on the advise of the doctors. I had rubella as a teen so am immune to that (had a baby last year and was tested so I know for sure) but need to sort something out for mumps and measles.