A question about adults and measles.

[Andthereyougo]

There was no MMR when my children were babies. They both caught measles, rubella, chickenpox and mumps so I assume they’re immune to these illnesses now. Is that correct? They’ve never caught them again and their children are all fully vaccinated.
Obviously I’ve never had an MMR jab either but I never had any of the above childhood illnesses. I think I caught rubella when my dc both had it but it was very mild, didn’t see a dr, just assumed by the mild rash I had.
Anyone know if an unvaccinated adult never had measles could catch it now ? Or is it a case of I’ve not caught it in 60+ years not going to get it now ?

Yes, you could. You should be able to have the MMR I believe.

Yes, they should be immune.

Unvaccinated adults could catch it, but are you sure you are unvaccinated? There’s been a measles vaccine around for years - actually I just looked and it was introduced in the UK in 1968 as part of routine childhood vaccinations.

NHS website says that

Adults born in the UK before 1970 are likely to have had measles, mumps and rubella as a child or to have had single measles or rubella vaccines which were used before MMRwas introduced in 1988.

If you are unsure whether or not you have had these infections or the vaccines to protect against them, you can ask your GP to vaccinate you. You will need 2 doses, one month apart. Even if you have had the vaccines before, you will not come to any harm from having extra doses as your immune system will recognize and quickly destroy the vaccine viruses.

So if you’re worried, you could always get vaccinated now.

Quite sure you can have repeat infections of measles; I've had it twice & once had rubella.
First time I had measles I was 9/10
Second time I was about 20 and in my thirties when I got rubella.

Measles is hugely infectious. If you looked after your children when they had it, and didn't catch it, then it's likely you are immune. You may have had such a light case in childhood that it was never identified. It is possible to get blood tests to check your immunity status. It is also possible to be vaccinated as an adult. Catching these illnesses as an adult can make you dangerously ill. I don't think vaccination does you any harm if you are already immune, so your GP may refuse to get you tested and just vaccinate you.

Please do NOT presume you have immunity to measles. That was a mistake both myself and my husband made when our DD [under orthooncology and medically told NOT to have vaccines] caught measles. DH had had measles then caught it again. He became dangerously ill very, very fast and I would not wish that on anyone.

Measles caught in adulthood can be life threatening and it will certainly make you feel very ill. It can take months to recover from too and can leave permanent damage. DH is one such.

Have a chat with the GP practice. They can arrange to test if you do have immunity and they will know if you are living in an area where you have a higher risk due to an identified outbreak and will be able to advise further. In some areas the health protection teams may arrange pop up vaccination hubs for those who have not had any vaccination against measles.

Did you grow up in a different country? I'm 61 and I had MMR as did my DC.

I don't think you should assume you can't get it or that they can't either. It is a serious illness.

I'm 49, UK born, MMR wasn't available for me but I had the separate vaccines back in the mid 1970s.

Unless you had it later in life you would have had the separate vaccines. I'm onlying 47 and had separate vaccines as the MMR wasn't around then. Off course DC's have had the MMR.

Sorry I'm missing the point. I thought you weee asking about yourself.

Yes the vaccine was separate in my day. But I was vaccinated. There's no suggestion that having separate vaccines is any less effective than MMR.

Are you asking about your grown up DC not yourself? They should get health advice.

I'm 48 and didn't have MMR. It wasn't around then. I had all offered childhood vaccines. I also had measles, mumps and rubella as illnesses, thankfully without lasting issues.

Definitely didn’t have a measles jab as a child. I could possibly have had a mild case when sibling had it and my parents ignored me , that was quite usual behaviour for them ( boys ruled and all that!)
My children were born in the UK but definitely I was never offered MMR for them. We lived in a very remote , rural part of the UK , maybe that had something to do with it. They had whooping cough, tetanus, polio, diphtheria vaccines from memory.
I’ll have a word with the GP next time I’m in the surgery.
Thanks for all the responses, don’t really want measles or to pass it on to anyone.

If you had the actual illness that normally gives lifelong immunity, whereas the vaccines wear off.

My bro was born in the early 80s and the MMR wasn't offered to him. When he got to midteens, and hadn't had any of the illnesses, dm had to fight to get him the MMR.

You may be able to ask your GP for either the vaccine or a blood test to check your immunity if you're concerned.

You can have your immunity tested. I needed to have mine checked for work (NHS). I was fully vaccinated with MMR as a child and I was not immune to measles so had the MMR again at age 40. My colleague was the same but not immune for mumps. Always worth seeing if you can be tested if you are concerned.

A good friend of mine bloody nearly died of measles a few years ago in her mid-30s. Get yourself tested.

I caught it. I was born in 73 and clearly hadn't been vaccinated. I was extremely ill. Get vaccinated if you can.

I know two young adults who were fully vaccinated but caught one of these illnesses at university. Their cohorts are among the most vulnerable as they were born around the time of Wakeman's discredited studies, and MMR uptake plummeted. 20y later universities are having outbreaks of mumps, measles and rubella. Neither of these young people were severely ill, but these illnesses can trigger autoimmune reactions which damage the body and can cause life-changing and life-threatening conditions. One is now T1 diabetic and the other has Ulcerative Colitis.

Get checked and get vaxed.

I'm in my 40s, so didn't receive the MMR as a child, although I had the rubella vaccine as a teenager.

I used to travel a lot for work to countries where measles is still endemic and, as I couldn't remember if I had had the measles vaccine, the travel clinic offered me two options: to have my immunity tested or get the MMR.

The MMR was the least faff of the two options, so I had that instead. All good!

I was born in 1962 and had measles , mumps and rubella.
Girls were then vaccinated at puberty for rubella.
I caught measles when I was 7 .As soon as I was in contact with a case I was put in quarantine and sure enough became ill very soon afterwards. The measles vaccine was just being rolled out and I had a rather frail younger sister so my mother was keen that she wouldn't catch measles and could be vaccinated which is what happened.
AFAIR the MMR was rolled out in the late 1980s ; prior to that it had been firstly Measles alone and then MR.

I travel for work and MMR is a mandatory requirement. It was not listed on my GP records. I know we got a raft of vaccinations at school, I remember lining up for the school nurse frequently. I distinctly remember Polio as that was an oral liquid and we got a smartie to take away the taste. I remember the 6 needles and subsequent TB jab and I remember Rubella because at that time it was only girls that got it and we were told it was because of the risk in pregnancy.

I have fairly recently had MMR because the Vaccination Guidelines for adults who are unvaccinated or do not have evidence of vaccination state a complete course to be given. As PP said, you could get tested for antibodies but the vaccination itself is safe to be given even to fully vaccinated people therefore it is easier, cheaper and quicker to just give a full course. MMR is 2 doses 28 days apart. I was also given Meningitis ACWY as this is also in guidelines and I didn’t have it otherwise documented.

I was born in 1968 and according to my vaccination record (my Mum kept it in a baby book!) I was vaccinated against measles in 1969. I had mumps and rubella as a child although was I was vaccinated against rubella again in secondary school. Looks like a new addition to the card though (handwritten) so might be worth checking if you’re similar age/older. I wonder if it’s still effective as don’t think I ever had a booster like my children did with MMR?

@Waxlyrically that would fit with my timings re measles vaccine.