MMR queries please help ((groan!))

[Eulalia]

Dd turned 22 months today and I need to make some decisions about her vaccinations as she hasn?t had her MMR yet. Sorry to drag this issue up again but can I need some help to make a decision.

I?ve done a bit of research into single vaccines and the nearest clinic is Glasgow some 3 hours drive from here. I?ve got some info from Jabs and done a bit of looking round the threads here. However got a few queries.

Is there just one jab each, ie one of Measles, Mumps and Rubella or is a course of each vaccination?

There appears to be some delay in getting vaccines which concerns me as it means leaving dd unprotected. Also the recommended time period between vaccines appears to be anywhere between 12 weeks to 12 months. I am not sure which is best or if it is a case of longer is better but this means a long time before dd would be fully vaccinated.

Finally I don?t even know if any of this will really benefit dd. We have no history of autoimmune problems and she is in good health. I am certain that ds didn?t get any worse after his MMR (at 21 months) but that is difficult to measure. I am certain he was autistic beforehand but the MMR could have exacerbated it. Is it the case that MMR damage has shown a definite link being it either does trigger autism or it doesn?t, or is there more unclear cases? And is there a risk with the MMR anyway for any child or is it the same level of risk with the single vaccines?

I would be extremely grateful if anyone knows the answer to these questions. Sorry there are so many! Many thanks. I?ve also asked similar questions to Jabs but thought I?d also check with the experiences of anyone here.

Coppertop - snap!

Also the same here but I think I'll go ahead with the booster. I found this in the discussion pack ....

There is no increased risk from a second dose of MMR vaccine, with the exception of allergic reactions. If complications were to occur they would most likely be in the 5-10% of children who did not respond to the first dose: the weakened virus is killed as soon as it enters the body of a child who is already immune. The overall risk of complications after a second dose of MMR vaccine is therefore 90-95% less than that after the first dose.

69. Virtanen M, Peltola H, Paunio M, Heinonen OP. Day-to-day reactogenicity and the healthy vaccinee effect of measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Pediatrics 2000;106(5):e62

Yeah - but I would take anything Peltola says with a pinch of salt- he is jab 'em Johnny.

If it has worked well first time round then obviously of any damage occuring from the relevant virus will be very small. However for the kids in which it hasn't worked then the risk is exactly the same as from the first one. That risk (in terms of autism at least varies between impossible to a very samll risk depending on who you believe).

if it has wirked first time round then the second one is pointless- the risk of damage form viruses will be close to 0%, so you're just left with the risk from the addded ingredients- which will also be small.

Sorry being pedantic- but the Peltola et al quote is taken from a population level- not from the pov of an individual child.