I don’t want the MMR!

[Lemons1571]

Twice now at my GP surgery they’re said I need two doses as a catch up, and the diseases are nasty so I should do this. Apparently it’s because my generation weren’t vaccinated against MM and R “back then”. I’m 46, born in 1974.

I am pro vaccines but a bit confused. I had the measles vaccine back in 1970-something, as I remember my mother saying I had a reaction and was quite poorly. I have rubella antibodies (identified through routine antenatal testing). So I presume it’s only the mumps immunity that’s missing.

Even weirder, apparently once I’m 50 it’s no longer a recommendation, as you’re deemed to be ok / have enough immunity if you get to 50 without being ill from measles mumps or rubella. So in 3 and a half years I won’t need it any more?

Am totally confused. Am not really keen on vaccination to tick a box. Has anyone else gone ahead with this? Is it really necessary? I wfh so I don’t even come into contact with many people. GP says it’s important especially in “these times”

Blimey, when I think about it, I had measles (yes, deliberately infected at a measles ‘party’. Please don’t do than nowadays) whopping cough, chicken pox and a faint recollection of having the mumps.

I'm also contemplating it
I didn't have my MMR as I was anaphylactic allergic to eggs and the doctors advised not to. I've had a separate rubella jab but I've never been vaccinated against measles or mumps
Missed out on the TB one too
Had a tetanus/polio/dip jab a couple of years ago and was fine, and pneumonia one this year which was also fine

I’m pretty sure I had the mmr as a child at school, I was born in 1979. I got mumps before I started school (only on one side) but on secondary svio they then gave us the measles immunisation. I fainted afterwards despite being ok with all other injections. I remember there was a massive fuss made to tell them if you might be pregnant as it wasn’t suitable.

Don't have it if you don't want it. It sounds as if you are immune to rubella and measles anyway. I refused it after I had my second child as I didn't want a live vaccine and the only thing I wasn't immune to was rubella (I didn't want more children).

I had the MMR at university as mumps was a problem on campus every year. I was already vaccinated against measles and I had rubella as a baby. I didn't fancy getting mumps when there was a safe, effective, free vaccine.

I was born in 75 i had the mmr? However ive also had mumps after the mmr my mom said there was a lower dose mmr that didn't protect us well enough and I caught it from the "irresponsible antivaxers down the road" I remember her Changing my childcare as a result I never saw the kids again

I must be among the last cohort of the population who had illnesses that were then seen almost as part and parcel of childhood experience but now thankfully for the majority of children are completely unknown

Sadly this isn’t true - look at the rising rates of the potentially extremely dangerous measles which are down to uneducated people thinking they know better. When measles first started making a resurgence (thanks, Andrew Wakefield) doctors initially didn’t recognise it because they’d never seen it before - because it had been all but wiped out.

I’m old enough to remember peers who got measles as children who ended up with brain damage or blindness / deafness as a result. It wasn’t simply a disease of childhood for them.

@Lweji

Why do you think you'll get more expert advice on MN than from your GP?

You could get a mumps vaccine separately, but it's more expensive and harder to come by. There's a safe and cheap vaccine available, which is MMR. Take it even if it's only for the mumps part.

Precisely. If you have a DS or work with boys or young men get it to protect them.

@slipperywhensparticus

I was born in 75 i had the mmr? However ive also had mumps after the mmr my mom said there was a lower dose mmr that didn't protect us well enough and I caught it from the "irresponsible antivaxers down the road" I remember her Changing my childcare as a result I never saw the kids again

MMR didn't exist in the UK until the 1988

I was born in 1979, I assume I've had measles and rubella vaccinations, I had mumps as a child, quite a mild case. Should I be getting an MMR?

My mum didn’t let me have the MMR, I had mumps when I was a teenager. It was awful. I had my MMR at 30 when my dc had hers.

‘Precisely.
If you have a DS or work with boys or young men get it to protect them.’

^this. DH got Mumps as a teenager (born late 70s, not in the UK, probably wasn’t part of the bad schedule).

Extremely poor sperm count, 3 goes at IVF to have DS.

HTH.

So don’t have it. I haven’t as I haven’t been offered it.

This happened to me at the beginning of the pandemic. GP called me and told me measles was on the rise in my borough and that I should have a vaccine as I’m in the same age group as you OP. Now, I did have a measles vaccine as a baby in the early 70s and still had the certificates to prove it. However, I was told that I might still have low immunity (?) as vaccine’s efficacy may have expired. She said that at least they could protect against measles as I wouldn’t want that on top of Covid. I did have the MMR and the booster on their advice and had no side effects from it. Incidentally, I was vaccinated against rubella at secondary school and had mumps as a child.

But why don't you want to have the MMR?

I had mumps as an adult and it's an absolute bastard.

Just before the Covid outbreak I read an article about the increase of mumps infections. All my three offspring are now in their early 30s. I know the youngest had two MMR doses, the second certainly had MMR as soon as it became available, actually when the third one had his, but I was not sure about his preschool booster as we moved areas around that time. The eldest had measles vaccine as an infant and then rubella vaccine as a teenager. I advised the eldest two to ring their GPS to check. They were both given a dose of MMR vaccine. Honestly, a minor inconvenience. Protection against a potentially nasty illness, worse as you get older and also herd immunity. Imagine contracting one of these diseases and passing it onto a pregnant woman or young child before it has been vaccinated. Get it done

I'm 44 and I got offered the MMR recently when I went to the doctor as I hadn't had it as a child and apparently mumps is on the rise in our area. I had measles when I was about 4 and remember it as being really horrible so I thought I may as well have the MMR to avoid the mumps. It was fine, glad I did it - one less thing to worry about!

Mumps is hideous. I had it as a child and don't recommend it, particularly if entirely avoidable. I had measles and rubella jabs at schools.

I wanted to respond to this:

Lucky are those vaccinated against chicken pox...Presumably they will never develop Shingles?

I'm not a doctor, so you might want to verify this elsewhere, but I paid privately for the meningitis jabs rolled out a year too late for my DC6 to benefit, and at the same time researched the chickenpox jab. I decided not to go with that, as it doesn't offer lifelong immunity and is probably putting off the inevitable as the older this disease is contracted the nastier it seemed to be. I had it at 13 - older than the majority of my peers - and was horribly, miserably ill.

I'm very pro-vax but decided to let nature take its course with the chickenpox. DC had a very mild dose of it back in nursery. It's possible to catch it twice, but any subsequent occurrences will likely be a milder than otherwise.

Previously having had chickenpox can prevent shingles, unfortunately, and it's also possible to catch shingles more than once.

Sorry - having had chickenpox CAN'T prevent shingles.

" were born between 1970 and 1979, as you may - have only been vaccinated against measles"

I wasn't vaccinated against measles as it wasn't done everywhere in 1977-1978. I got measles. I also got mumps and was vaccinated against rubella like all the girls in my year at 13.

It's a bit strange of the NHS website not to mention that you probably don't need the vaccine if you've actually had the illness.

I had MMR recently as part of a list of travel vaccinations. Also born in 1974.

I knew I had rubella vaccination at school, and prob. Measles as an infant. But was no skin off my nose really to have MMR on top of the thyphid, tetanus, hepatitis and so on that I was having for the trip. Which was cancelled because of corona.

Why not have it?

@dementedpixie, I think you are right about 1988 being the year MMR vaccine being available. That’s why my third child had it and I asked for my second child, a boy also to get it.

I've never heard of this- I'm in the age bracket to get it but had mumps as a child and measles I think

You dont 'catch' shingles. It is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus so you cant get shingles unless you've had chicken pox

Oh and I’m pretty sure I had mumps as a baby. But didn’t see the harm in making sure/doubling down.