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Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure.
The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. The vaccine is approved by Health Canada.
The MMR vaccine is provided free as part of your child’s routine immunizations. Call your health care provider to make an appointment.
The MMR vaccine is given to children as a series of 2 doses or shots. The first dose is given at 12 months of age. Beginning January 1, 2012, the second dose of the vaccine will be moved from 18 months of age to 4 to 6 years of age. Children who have already received 2 doses of the MMR vaccine do not need a 3rd dose.
The vaccine is given at the same time as other childhood immunizations.
| MMR Vaccine | Child's Age at Vaccination |
| 1st dose | 12 months |
| 2nd dose | 4-6 years |
The MMR vaccine is also provided free of charge to the following people:
It is recommended that people born after 1956 get 2 doses of the vaccine. This is especially important for travelers and health care workers.
It is important to keep a record of all immunizations received.
The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella, which are serious and sometimes fatal diseases.
When you get vaccinated, you help protect others as well.
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get measles, mumps or rubella.
Common reactions to the vaccine may include soreness, redness and swelling where the shot was given. A mild fever, a rash that looks like measles and swelling of glands in the cheeks or neck can occur about 7 to 12 days after getting the vaccine. Temporary joint pain may occur in teenage and adult women.
| Acetaminophen or Tylenol® can be given for fever or soreness. ASA or Aspirin® should NOT be given to anyone under 20 years of age due to the risk of Reye Syndrome. |
Rarely, more serious reactions can include seizures caused by fever (about 1 child in 3,000), a temporary drop in the blood cells that help prevent bleeding (about 1 person in 30,000), and encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain (about 1 person in 1 million). The possibility of getting encephalitis from measles is about 1 in 1,000, which is much higher than from the vaccine.
It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is an extremely rare possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. If this happens after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number. This reaction can be treated, and occurs in less than 1 in a million people who get the vaccine.
Report serious or unexpected reactions to your health care provider.
Speak with your health care provider if you are pregnant or if you or your child has had:
Measles, mumps, and rubella are diseases caused by viruses. The viruses are easily spread through the air by sneezing and coughing.
Measles, also known as red measles, causes fever, rash and cold-like symptoms and can lead to ear infection or pneumonia. More serious complications, occurring in 1 person in 1,000, include encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. This can lead to seizures, deafness or permanent brain damage. One person in 3,000 with measles can die from complications.
Mumps causes fever, headaches, and swelling of the salivary glands and cheeks. More serious complications include encephalitis. About 1 in 20 people with mumps get mumps meningitis, an infection of the lining of the brain. Mumps can also cause temporary deafness. Permanent deafness occurs in less than 1 in 20,000 people with mumps. About 1 in 4 adult men and teenage boys develop painful swelling of the testicles.
Rubella, also known as German measles, can cause serious complications and birth defects in an unborn baby including deafness, eye problems, heart defects, liver damage, and brain damage. This is called Congenital Rubella Syndrome. It occurs in 1 in 4 babies born to women who become infected with the virus in the first 3 months of their pregnancy. Rubella can also cause miscarriage or stillbirth.
These diseases are now rare in B.C. because of routine childhood vaccination programs.
It is recommended that parents or guardians and their children discuss consent for immunization. Efforts are first made to seek parental/guardian or representative consent prior to immunization. However, children under the age of 19, who are able to understand the benefits and possible reactions for each vaccine and the risk of not getting immunized, can legally consent to or refuse immunizations.
For more information on immunizations visit Immunize BC at www.immunizebc.ca.
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