
What experts need you to know about the MMR vaccine
What experts need you to know about the MMR vaccine
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Here is what to know about measles symptoms, spread and vaccine
Cases of the measles are on the rise. Here's what you should know about how measles are spread, its symptoms and the MMR vaccine.
As the U.S. continues to battle the largest spike in measles cases since 2019, experts underscore the importance of MMR vaccinations to prevent the spread of measles and bolster collective immunity.
Measles is a highly infectious, life-threatening viral disease that infects the respiratory tract. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, it is estimated that 3 to 4 million people in the U.S. contracted measles every year, causing 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
The MMR vaccine, a combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, has been instrumental in curtailing the spread of measles. The vaccine has been available in its current form since 1971, marking more than 50 years of safe and effective use.
What is the MMR vaccine?
The MMR vaccine is an attenuated vaccine, meaning it uses particles of live viruses to help generate the body's immune response and build antibodies, says Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatric emergency medicine physician and medical director of clinical preparedness for Northwell Health. 'Everyone is encouraged to get it, because as we've seen in Texas and New Mexico, measles spreads like wildfire,' says Harris.
The MMR vaccine is highly effective. Most vaccinated people will not develop measles, mumps or rubella when they are exposed to the diseases. But, in the case a vaccinated person does develop one of these diseases, their symptoms are typically milder, and they are far less contagious, per the CDC.
'So much for MAHA': RFK Jr. MMR vaccine support spurs backlash
Is the MMR vaccine safe?
The MMR vaccine is very safe, says Harris. For decades, the vaccine has been administered to millions of children, helping to prevent severe and life-threatening complications of measles, mumps and rubella. Serious side effects of the vaccine, including seizures, are rare.
Over the years, multiple large-scale studies have debunked claims linking the MMR vaccine and autism. Studies have also disproven connections between autism and vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative often used in combination vaccines, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Heads up: A group of newborns were exposed to measles. Can babies be protected?
When should you receive the MMR vaccine?
The MMR vaccine is administered in two doses, usually during childhood. One dose provides 93% protection against measles, and two doses provide 97% protection, says Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at UCSF Health. When you receive two doses of MMR, you are considered to be fully immunized against measles.
Healthcare providers prioritize administering the MMR vaccine during early childhood for two primary reasons, Harris says. First, measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious, and spread easily in congregant settings, such as daycares and summer camps. Second, children are particularly vulnerable to developing severe symptoms. Unvaccinated children under the age of 5 have an elevated risk of experiencing dangerous complications due to measles, including pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), loss of sight or hearing and death, per the CDC.
It is recommended that babies receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine when they're between 12 and 15 months. The second MMR dose is usually administered when a child is 4 to 6 years old. In the case of a measles outbreak, or international travel, a baby can receive one dose of MMR when they are as young as six months old. They will still need to receive another two doses of the vaccine within the CDC-recommended time frames after they turn 1, says Chin-Hong.
If you weren't vaccinated against measles as a young child, you can still receive the MMR vaccine later in life, note Chin-Hong and Harris. Two doses of MMR will yield the same level of protection against measles, even if you've previously been exposed to the disease. It's important to note certain groups of people, including pregnant women and some immunocompromised individuals, aren't able to receive the MMR vaccine. This is the minority of patients, and a healthcare provider can help determine your eligibility for the vaccine.
If you're unsure whether you're protected against measles, check your vaccination records. It's possible some individuals may need to be revaccinated, although this isn't the case for most people. For example, if you find you were vaccinated between 1963 and 1967 and received the killed measles vaccine, the CDC recommends you receive at least one dose of a live attenuated measles vaccine.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Murdoch's Paper Unloads on RFK Jr. Over Axing Vaccine Board
A Rupert Murdoch-owned paper ripped into Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday for gutting the nation's top vaccine advisory panel. The Wall Street Journal published a scathing op-ed a day after Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, announced the firing spree at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in the paper itself. The ACIP reports to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine efficacy. The Secretary of Health and Human Services said he was 'retiring' all 17 members of the advisory committee on vaccines in a 'bold step' to help restore 'public trust.' The move raised alarm bells at a time when health experts fear vaccine skepticism is fueling the nation's largest measles outbreak in around 25 years. 'Most of ACIP's members have received substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies, including those marketing vaccines,' Kennedy wrote, hinting at a plot to push vaccines on Americans. Murdoch's editorial board hit back: 'Mr. Kennedy's beef seems to be that the committee's members know something about vaccines and may have been involved in their research and development.' 'How does he define 'substantial'?' the board asked. The board noted that trial doctors get small payments, typically less than their salaries, from vaccine makers to assist with clinical trials. But 'these trials are double-blinded, meaning doctors don't know which volunteers receive the vaccine or placebo so there's no financial incentive to tilt the data in favor of manufacturers,' the board said. Any conflicts of interest among the committee were also 'honestly handled,' the board said. Kennedy said in a separate announcement that 'a clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.' 'ACIP new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas,' he added. Since joining the Trump administration in January, Kennedy, who is leading the Trump administration's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative has doubled down on conspiracy theories around shots, including that the measles jab contain 'aborted fetus debris.' 'The MMR vaccine contains millions of particles that are derived from fetal tissue, millions of fragments of human DNA from aborted fetuses,' Kennedy told NBC News' Tom Llamas last month. Kennedy was referring to the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. Vaccines do not contain aborted fetuses, fetal cells, fetal DNA, or fetal debris, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The rubella component of the vaccine is developed from a fetal cell line known as WI-38 that originally came from the lung tissue of an elective abortion performed more than five decades ago. No new fetal issue has been used since, and cells used today are thousands of times removed from the original source. Health experts are alarmed by Kennedy's suggestions that the measles jab is unsafe, a claim which contradicts decades of research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization declared measles eliminated from the United States in 2000 due to the success of vaccination efforts. International travel and growing vaccine hesitancy are thought to be behind its resurgence. The American Medical Association has said Kennedy's decision to gut ACIP undermines 'trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives.' Kennedy wrote in his op-ed for the Journal that ACIP's new members 'won't directly work for the vaccine industry.' 'They will exercise independent judgment, refuse to serve as a rubber stamp, and foster a culture of critical inquiry—unafraid to ask hard questions.' ACIP is set to hold its next meeting on June 25 at the CDC's headquarters.


Boston Globe
25 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
RFK Jr. names 8 vaccine committee replacements, including COVID shot critic
The new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices include Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak. Malone, who runs a wellness institute and a popular blog, rose to popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as he relayed conspiracy theories around the outbreak and the vaccines that followed. He has appeared on podcasts and other conservative news outlets where he's promoted unproven and alternative treatments for measles and COVID-19. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotized into taking the COVID-19 shots. He's even suggested that those vaccines cause a form of AIDS. He's downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in years. Advertisement Other appointees include Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter maintaining that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreparable harm. Dr. Cody Meissner, a former ACIP member, also was named. Advertisement Kennedy made the announcement in The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how Food and Drug Administration-cleared vaccines should be used. The CDC's final recommendations are widely heeded by doctors and determine the scope of vaccination programs. Associated Press reporter Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.


Chicago Tribune
25 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
RFK Jr. names 8 vaccine committee replacements, including COVID shot critic
NEW YORK — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week. They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and transformed into a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, and a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns. Kennedy's decision to 'retire' the previous 17-member panel was widely decried by doctors' groups and public health organizations, who feared the advisers would be replaced by a group aligned with Kennedy's desire to reassess — and possibly end — longstanding vaccination recommendations. The new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices include Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak. Malone, who runs a wellness institute and a popular blog, rose to popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as he relayed conspiracy theories around the outbreak and the vaccines that followed. He has appeared on podcasts and other conservative news outlets where he's promoted unproven and alternative treatments for measles and COVID-19. He has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotized into taking the COVID-19 shots. He's even suggested that those vaccines cause a form of AIDS. He's downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in years. Other appointees include Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter maintaining that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreparable harm. Dr. Cody Meissner, a former ACIP member, also was named. Kennedy made the announcement in a social media post on Wednesday. The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how Food and Drug Administration-cleared vaccines should be used. The CDC's final recommendations are widely heeded by doctors and determine the scope of vaccination programs.