MMR Immunization for Your Kid Health
Mumps is a viral infection of the parotid gland, a gland which produces saliva and is located in front of and below each ear. If your child has mumps, he or she was exposed to another person with mumps 16 to 18 days earlier. Mumps virus causes fever, headache, and swollen glands. It can lead to deafness, meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord covering), painful swelling of the testicles or ovaries, and, rarely, death.
You or your child could catch these diseases by being around someone who has them. They spread from person to person through the air.
Mumps can be prevented by vaccination. The vaccine is given as part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunization, which is usually given to children at 12 to 15 months of age. A second dose of MMR is generally given at 4 to 6 years of age. These are the recommended ages. But children can get the second dose at any age, as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose. As is the case with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. Most children who get their MMR shots will not get these diseases. Many more children would get them if we stopped vaccinating.
Some adults should also get MMR vaccine Generally, anyone 18 years of age or older, who was born after 1956, should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine, unless they can show that they have had either the vaccines or the diseases.
If they haven’t already received them, students who are attending colleges and other post-high school institutions should be sure they have had two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Some people should not get MMR vaccine or should wait
• People should not get MMR vaccine who have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or a previous dose of MMR vaccine.
• People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting MMR vaccine.
• Pregnant women should wait to get MMR vaccine until after they have given birth. Women should avoid getting pregnant for 4 weeks after getting MMR vaccine.
• Some people should check with their doctor about whether they should get MMR vaccine, including anyone who:
o Has HIV/AIDS, or another disease that affects the immune system
o Is being treated with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for 2 weeks or longer.
o Has any kind of cancer
o Is taking cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
o Has ever had a low platelet count (a blood disorder)
• People who recently had a transfusion or were given other blood products should ask their doctor when they may get MMR vaccine