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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wonder why I was not immunized against mumps in the 80 s?

91 replies

Pitmountainpony · 13/04/2013 05:13

That is it really......I now find that I need to have it for visa purposes and as I am breast feeding I cannot have it.
How come they started doing it with the mmr but anyone before that will not have had it? seems inconsistent. Either it is good for us all to be immunized or there is no need surely?

OP posts:

WheresMrMonkey · 13/04/2013 08:22

I was born in 82, had the catch up in my teens and still got it in my early 20s at uni, it was awful!!!!! Worst illness I have ever experienced.
My results actually had to be sent off to the government medical board as obviously I shouldn't have contracted it

CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs · 13/04/2013 08:22

MissAliceBand - you weren't the last year to have the rubella jab at 14, because I did!

CoolaSchmoola · 13/04/2013 08:29

I was born in 1978 and had mumps when I was six weeks old. Mum says it was horrendous.

I remember getting my pre school boosters because I got the polio vacc on a Dolly mixture cube, instead of a sugar lump. Doesn't take much to impress a four year old lol.

bumbleymummy · 13/04/2013 08:47

Over a third of mumps cases are asymptomatic so you may have had it without knowing. If you were growing up in the 70s/80s then you probably had plenty of opportunities to come into contact with it! :) you could get a blood test for immunity - proof of being immune should be acceptable for the visa as well.

VivaLeBeaver · 13/04/2013 08:49

We give mmr on the postnatal ward to any women so aren't rubella immune, whether they're breastfeeding or not. I'd check with your GP again about having it.

ChunkyPickle · 13/04/2013 08:59

We all had mumps except for my youngest brother who was born in 84 and was the first of us to have the MMR.

No catchup schemes in my area, but then I've never been asked on a visa for my vaccination status, and I've been/lived in a fair few places..

Yes ask, I was refused olbas oil (stuff you put on you hanky to sniff when you have a cold) when I was breastfeeding, so they can be absolutely ridiculous and err on the side of refusing rather than actually checking..

teacherandguideleader · 13/04/2013 09:30

Sirzy - I was also 84 and got it done at school. Did you get 2 doses? We only got one and consequently I had to have both redone a couple of years ago.

Sirzy · 13/04/2013 09:36

No, I only had one dose and ended up having the second just before I started at uni.

My sister was born in 86 and ended up having 3 doses of it when she was little somehow!

GirlOutNumbered · 13/04/2013 09:38

I was born in 1975 and not immunised. I know that I had both mumps and measles when I was little and german measles. Measles quite badly I believe. I think I had rubella at school?

AuntieStella · 13/04/2013 09:44

"I was the last year to have the individual jabs"

Unlikely - single measles jab available on NHS until 1998 (dreadful decision to let licence lapse then, just as MMR controversial: much better - if your interest is to have children protected, and realised behaviour of public is a factor in that - to have let it remain until fuss died down: eg like 1970s DPT).

Single rubella for some time after 1998 too.

AuntieStella · 13/04/2013 09:45

Single measles vaccine was available on NHS from 1968, BTW.

Original poster

Pitmountainpony · 13/04/2013 18:20

Thanks everyone. I was slightly adamant I must have had it when the nurse presented my vaccine records and said....I see no mumps here.

Vole....you were right...they have taken blood and we are hoping I have immunity and that the department of homeland security will be happy with that. Trying to get our green cards with as much haste as possible, as with the economy you just don,t know when you might get booted out of a job and we want the ability to stay in the US.
The doctor looked it up and said no breastfeeding for three months if I have mmr and apparently they do not make the single mumps vaccine anymore or it is very hard to get hold of.

What a very helpful ' covern' this community is! :)

OP posts:

Original poster

Pitmountainpony · 13/04/2013 18:23

Thanks Vivalabeaver. Useful to know.......they are draconian in the US as they don,t want you to sue them. So if he said no I suspect I will not be able to change his mind.

OP posts:

PrettyFlyForAWifi · 13/04/2013 18:33

Your Dr talks shite - you can have it: media.dh.gov.uk/network/211/files/2012/07/Green-Book-Chapter-21-v2_0.pdf
Get him to ring the HPA or read the sodding Green Book like he should!

pigsDOfly · 13/04/2013 18:35

Yes the MMR vaccination was the first available vaccine for Mumps on the NHS. My children were born in 1980/84 and 87. They were all given Measles and Rubella vaccinations as babies/small children but all had to have the MMR jab to cover them for Mumps, which meant they were all vaccinated twice for Measles and Rubella.

One of my neighbours had her child done privately just for Mumps about 6 months before mine had the MMR jab, so there was a single Mumps vaccination but it wasn't available on the NHS.

Original poster

Pitmountainpony · 13/04/2013 18:59

Thanks Pretty and pigs.he did look it up on his I phone which made me a little shocked. We paid 90 bucks yesterday for my dh to have the mmr so we are paying anyway...maybe I can source a single mumps vaccine since we are paying anyway. If my blood comes back showing immunity maybe this will solve it. Such a pape work trail doing US immigration stuff. They are so strict here.

OP posts:

clicketyclick66 · 13/04/2013 19:08

I was born in 1970, I got all the illnesses - measles at 6, mumps at 8 and rubella at 9. The mumps was the worst, i had sore ears and throat and my chin swelled to twice it's size. I never felt so sore and uncomfortable in my life. My children have had all their jabs.

valiumredhead · 13/04/2013 19:11

I remember having the mumps - blimey, I was really poorly, I still remember how much it hurt to turn my head. I was about 7 so 1977.

HamAlive · 13/04/2013 19:16

I was born in 84 and only had one dose of the MMR. There was a mumps outbreak amongst my age group while I was at uni and it came out that a whole load of us hadn't had the second dose. I went to get it but was apparently already incubating it as I came down with it a few days later. So painful!

infamouspoo · 13/04/2013 19:22

green card? So going for the US. I didnt have a bunch of vaccines as am very old so had an antibody test which showed I was immune to everything required and the US Embassy was happy with that.

AwkwardAnnie · 13/04/2013 19:28

I was born in 1977. I had to have blood tests for my job recently and I came back with no immunity which was a surprise to Mum and I because we thought I'd had the jab.

I'm still waiting to get my jab done so I'll get them to check about the breastfeeding thing.

Poosnu · 13/04/2013 19:28

I was born in 1982 and didn't receive MMR, just single mumps and rubella. Following a measles scare with 8mo DD I looked into my own vaccination status.

The Green Book on vaccinations (available online) might be a good place to start research. I understand it to be the GPs reference point for vaccines. Mumps is chapter 23.

The NHS offers aduts born between 80 and 90 the MMR because they are unlikely to be immune to mumps. I received it free of charge (although had to ask). I was breastfeeding and I don't understand it to be a contraindication - I would check this with your GP. I was however told to avoid pregnancy for 3 months post vaccine.

I live in London, with high population density and a number of people not vaccinated (high immigrant population in my area makes it worse as they often missed out on childhood vaccinations). I kept hearing about outbreaks nearby and wanted to avoid being very ill myself.

TheBuskersDog · 13/04/2013 19:34

I was born in 1967, had measles as a very young baby, 2-3 months old, and had Rubella, or German Measles as we called it, at 8 and have never had mumps. The only vaccination I had was Rubella at 14.

bumbleymummy · 13/04/2013 19:37

Rubella and German measles are the same thing.

FattyMcChubster · 13/04/2013 19:41

Born in 82, had single vaccines and no catch up. Got mumps at 24. Horrendous. Has made me very pro immunisation.

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