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”

I would look at getting a mumps vaccine, I was hospitslised with it as a child, dread to think what it would be like as an adult!

I'm very much pro-vaccination but I would be very unhappy being advised on ANYTHING by such a disinterested, apparently ill informed dr! I wouldn't go to a dr like that with something like a cold even!

The responses from currently practicing medics make sense.

I've not been offered to "top up" my vaccinations but then I'm housebound which dr knows so even prior to covid had little contact with people and therefore minimal risk.

They might suggest it if/when I'm out and about again.

@ekidmxcl I tend to agree - not because I ever thought those not wanting the mmr were sensible but because the way to address people's fears is to listen and educate and where possible offer other options, not to shut down their choices!

Sidge while Wakefield and others have a LOT to answer for I do think the govt of that time did not handle the situation at all well. There was a lot of avoiding answering the concerns parents had. Dd was at the age of having the vaccine at this time and while I wasn't one who succumbed to Wakefield's scaremongering and irresponsible claims, I did do my own research into the vaccine to reassure myself A because he was FAR from the only hcp saying there might be a problem! I had a bloody hv at this time who stated she'd given her own child single immunisations rather than the mmr! And I'm sure I wasn't the only mother she worried!

Eventually I was satisfied it was safe and dd was immunised according to national schedule but it was a frightening and confusing time for parents with children of that age/stage.

Sidge my teen ds had the single mumps vaccine as a 3yo. When my dd was part way through getting the singles, the individual mumps vac was removed.

As far as I am aware, that vaccine is now incorporated into the MMR, rather than having been withdrawn or changed.

But in any case, the single rubella jab no longer exists and that’s what’s needed for the OP/pregnancy concerns. Are you telling me that single rubella jab is also dangerous? As well as the mumps being dangerous?

Its not rubella that OP is missing as she has antibodies. She is missing protection from mumps and there is no single vaccine for that.

As far as I know we haven't given single mumps vaccine in the UK (on the NHS) for donkeys years. Certainly in my 21 years in primary care. I believe the single mumps vaccine was withdrawn in 2010. I believe historically it was the Urabe mumps strain that was problematic and doesn’t feature in MMR.

I’m not aware of any issues with single rubella vaccine but that hasn’t been available widely since the late 90s I think, but due to business rather than safety reasons. Supply and demand.

@Graphista I remember the governments handling of it, I agree it wasn’t great. But what could they do? Advisors were rapidly investigating Wakefield’s work, singles weren’t readily available in the numbers demanded (not licensed in the UK anyway) and offering a choice of singles would be admitting that there were concerns about MMR which would have been public health suicide. They had to present a united front and say “there’s nothing wrong with MMR, take it or leave it”.

I am 33. I missed the second mmr vaccine as a child. Was only established last week when checked my kids have had all theirs. I will be getting the vaccine ASAP. I contracted mumps at 17(now know why). I honestly would rather die than have it again. I could not eat or swallow for ages. Not to mention the pain. Then the awful smell that went with it. I was so swollen you couldn't tell where my neck was and given that I was a size 8 pre kids that was saying something.

"Mumps went round the older people in my office last year. A couple were really sick and out for a month."

None of them had had it as a child? What proportion of the 'older ' people in the office and who are you classifying as older?

"It is recommended that everyone has two doses of the MMR."

Why? Who do you need the MMR if you've had the illnesses or the vaccinations. I've had measles and mumps and been vaccinated for rubella. No way am I taking two doses of a vaccine I don't need and I'm not an anti-vaccer.

I didn’t have it as a kid as I’d ha 2 out of 3 by the time I was 3. I got mumps as a teen and it wasn’t that bad. They should offer individual really.

@ekidmxcl

Welcome to the UK's police state where the mumps vaccine (safely and effectively given for years) is now unavailable. The govt. were pissed about people getting single jabs and thought that they'd force everyone to get MMR by deleting the supply of single jabs. Upshot = mealses and mumps outbreaks. Well done you fucking totalitarian government.

I think it was probably just more efficient and cheaper to give it as a 'threesome'. I don't think I'd be having the MMR vaccine in OP's case, but I think your reaction is very over the top.

I'm in your age range and was offered it through work ( occupational health). I wasn't keen as know I'm immune to rubella and had measles and mumps as a child.

I asked for antibody testing prior to getting the vaccines and found out that I already had immunity so didn't need it.

You could ask for this antibody testing perhaps?

Personally I would have accepted the vaccines if I had not tested as immune.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

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.

The chickenpox virus is what causes shingles. You don't catch shingles. Similarly to cold sores caused by herpes simplex, chicken pox is caused by varicella zoster; both herpes viruses. These viruses lay dormant and then reoccur. With varicella zoster this reoccurrence is shingles.

i turned 50 a couple of months ago..

This is the first i heard about it.

while Wakefield and others have a LOT to answer for I do think the govt of that time did not handle the situation at all well. There was a lot of avoiding answering the concerns parents had. Dd was at the age of having the vaccine at this time and while I wasn't one who succumbed to Wakefield's scaremongering and irresponsible claims, I did do my own research into the vaccine to reassure myself A because he was FAR from the only hcp saying there might be a problem! I had a bloody hv at this time who stated she'd given her own child single immunisations rather than the mmr! And I'm sure I wasn't the only mother she worried

I worried too and my son had the MMR later than scheduled.

Wakefield didn't come up with the idea on his own, anyway. People had been saying for years that they thought there was a link with autism.

I am 42 and had the mmr jab last year. I'm still alive.

If you don’t want it then just say no. Chances are you’re probably immune to mumps at this point already, given your age so it would be unnecessary. You could have an antibody test done privately if you want to confirm.

Sorry - I"m not sure if I missed this bit of information OP. But is there a reason the Dr is suggesting you have the MMR?

What did you go to them for in the first place?

Or did they ring you up and suggest this?

I do wonder whether less people are taking their kids to get the MMR done at the moment ...

Less people are actually physically going to visit GPs now. I've heard that GPs get paid per vaccination, or something like that.

Maybe they're trying to get rid of excess vaccines stored away.

I've never heard of this. 50.had single measles jab and rubella jab as a teen. Managed not to catch mumps when by little brother had it. Never had a gp tell me to catch up.

OK, so I was born in 69, which explains why I've not been pestered about it.

I was born in Scotland in 1977 so to old for MMR. I had rubella injection in first year around 11-12yr same as polio. Then BCG about 13/14.

There was an outbreak of measles so we were given a vaccine about age 17 so 1994/5.

No mumps vaccine. I remember my brother having it as a kid but i never caught it.
Instead i got mumps as an adult in my 20s. I never knew a face could swell so much. I nearly got hospitalised as i couldnt open my mouth wide enough to eat. I managed to live on soup to avoid it.
I did get obsessed with feeling my parotid gland though.

If you never have chickenpox (due to vax), you will never get shingles.
The virus sits dormant in your nerve cells then reappears when your weakened as Shingles. It’s the same virus with different presentations.

I had 2 MMR booster after each baby as I don’t seem to hold immunity to Rubella.
Getting any of the 3 covered in the mmr vaccine as adults are very dangerous.
It’s likely that less people are vaccinating their children which raises the risk for older people which otherwise would of been covered by herd immunity in the community.

@Qwertywerty3

Just get the vaccine. It won’t do you any harm and it will take 5 mins of your day.

Don’t get it, you’ve gone this long without it.

MarieIVanArkleStinks Is correct that the chickenpox vaccine doesn't offer lifelong immunity which is why it's not offered on the NHS. It's better to have low levels circulating among children which boosts the immunity of the adults they come into contact with and so keeps the incidence of adult chickenpox (and shingles) low.

[quote Lemons1571]@Graphista Home Counties. Not a city but not immensely rural either.

I’m trying to be convinced, but I’m not quite there. For example, I understand why a flu jab is recommended for higher risk groups, and even more so with corona around. Clear cause and effect. But an MMR vaccine, when I’ve had/immune to two of the three diseases, and there hasn’t been a mumps outbreak around here in my living memory, is harder to justify. Particularly as it appears it has only become necessary in the last 9 months.

I don’t like the thought of over vaccinating. Not if it’s not sensibly needed (balance of risk and all that).[/quote]
@Lemons1571
I understand your reasoning.
Like you, I was pre the MMR and my sibling was one of the minority that reacted really badly, blues and twos, the lot. So I've always been wary and actually gave my child the single vaccinations that were still available before giving the MMR when a lot older than the 12-13 months old that is standard.

With regards your situation, I'd be surprised tbh if you hadn't also had mumps. I had measles and mumps as a child and the rubella vaccine as a teen. Being a similar age with this background I wouldn't be vaccinating myself unnecessarily in your scenario and I say that as someone who's immunocompromised and a shielder. It's not your responsibility to protect me!