Determine the Side Effects of an MMR Vaccination

The MMR vaccination is an immunization that many children receive at one year of age and protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. However, the vaccination can cause a number of side-effects that can have mild to rarely severe implications for your health. However, the risks of not getting the vaccine greatly outweigh the risks of the vaccine. If your child is about to receive the vaccine, or if you are an adult receiving the shot for the first time, understanding these complications and how to treat them can help you and your loved ones stay healthy.

Steps

Recognizing Mild Side-Effects

1. Expect some redness or swelling around the injection site. When receiving a shot, most people experience some immediate redness and swelling around the injection site. This is a common occurrence and should go away with in a day or two.
   • Place a clean cold cloth on the injection site for 5 to 10 minutes if it is flushed, sore, or swollen.
   • Avoid rubbing or touching the point of injection. This will only lead to more soreness and inflammation.
2. Be aware that children and babies may be irritable or appear unwell. Because the vaccine may make your child feel ill, it is likely that they will be more fussy or lethargic. This may be result of a mild fever or other discomfort. In most instances the fever will go away after one or two days, but it can last longer.
   • Comfort your baby with cuddling or take them for walk in fresh air in order to help them feel better.
   • If your baby seems very uncomfortable, try a dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil). Your doctor should provide proper dosing information for these medicines.
3. Check for a fever. One in six people who receive an MMR vaccine will experience fevers. These fevers can occur at different times after receiving the vaccine because each begins working at different intervals. Typically, fevers become less common two weeks after receiving the injection. Treat the fever with pain and fever relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil), and keep hydrated, but remember that you should never give aspirin to children under 16.
   • The measles vaccine begins working after six to ten days and may cause a fever at that time.
   • After two to three weeks the mumps vaccine may cause a mild fever.
   • The rubella vaccine may cause a slightly raised temperature around 12 to 14 days.
4. Look for a mild rash. One in twenty people who receive an MMR vaccine will experience a mild rash. Again this is the result of the various vaccinations and can occur at varying times following the injection. There is not treatment for the rash and it should go away after one or two days.
   • If the rash appears immediately or within four to eight hours, visit your doctor right away because this may a sign of an allergic reaction.
   • If the rash persists for more than a few days consult your doctor. Your child may be experiencing another skin condition.
   • The measles vaccine may cause a rash to appear after six to ten days.
   • The rubella vaccine may cause a brief rash around 12 to 14 days.
5. Keep any eye out for swollen glands in the cheeks or neck. One in seventy-five people who receive an MMR shot will experience some swelling of the glands in the cheeks and neck. This is a mild form of the mumps and is a common side-effect of the vaccine. Children and infants may have some difficulty eating or nursing due to tenderness from the swelling.
   • These symptoms can appear two to four weeks after the injection and generally only last for a few days.
6. Recognize a general loss of appetite. Because a raised temperature can cause nausea, a decreased appetite is a common symptom of the MMR vaccine. Nausea is typically the result of the measles vaccine and can last for two to three days.
   • A loss of appetite may also be the result of sore or swollen glands in the face and neck.
   • It is important to drink some extra fluids during this time, and watch for signs of dehydration, which may include decreased or concentrated urine, fatigue, or feeling weak or dizzy.

Observing Moderate Side-Effects

1. Report any seizures. Due to high fever, infants sometimes experience convulsions or febrile seizures. During a seizure, the child’s body may stiffen, they might lose consciousness and their arms and legs will twitch. These typically occur in children between the ages of six months to three years.
   • Take your child to the doctor after they have a fit to ensure that it is the vaccine causing the seizure, and not another disease.
   • Febrile seizures are extremely rare, only occurring in one in every 1,000 to 3,000 doses of the vaccine. While febrile seizures are scary to watch, they aren't usually dangerous or long-lasting. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than five minutes or if the baby seems very ill.
   • Children who receive the combined MMR vaccine are twice as likely to have febrile seizures as those who get the separate shots.
2. Look for bruise-like spots. In very rare causes a child may develop a small rash of bruise-like spots known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The spots may also look like tiny bright-red dots, which are called petechiae. This is a side-effect of the rubella vaccine and develops in one in every 24,000 to 30,000 doses.
   • There is a greater risk of developing ITP from a measles or rubella infection than from receiving a vaccine.
   • The rash typically gets better on its but you should still consult your physician as soon as possible.
3. Recognize pain and stiffness in the joints. The rubella vaccination can cause temporary arthritis in adults. One in four adult women who receive the MMR vaccine will experience joint discomfort following. This side-effect mostly impacts teenage and adult women. Take a common pain reliever to treat symptoms.
   • These symptoms generally begin one to three weeks after receiving the injection and can last for about two days. These symptoms are rarely long term.

Spotting Severe Side-Effects

1. Report allergic reactions. A very small minority of people may experience anaphylactic shock as a result of an allergic reaction to the MMR vaccine. Those experiencing anaphylactic shock will likely have a rash, body swelling, nausea and vomiting, and difficulty breathing. If you or your child experience any of these symptoms after receiving the vaccination see your doctor immediately. Call 911 in the United States (or emergency services in your country) if the person if having difficulty breathing, wheezing, or swelling of the lips or tongue.
   • Fewer than one in a million doses of the MMR vaccine are known to have resulted in a serious allergic reaction.
2. Be aware that brain swelling is an extremely rare side-effect. Measles inclusion body encephalitis is a severe swelling of the brain that is the result of infection by the measles virus. It is a rare disorder that usually develops within a year of being exposed to the wild measles infection. There have only been three reported cases of this complication happening to people with the MMR vaccine, and only one of those identified the MMR vaccine as the cause.
   • Nausea, severe headaches, and blurred vision are symptoms of brain swelling.
   • Visit your doctor immediately if you believe that you are experiencing encephalitis.
3. Understand that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism. Because the signs of autism are usually noticed at the same time that children are recommended to take the MMR vaccine, many people attribute the onset of autism with the vaccination. However, safety experts agree that the MMR vaccine does not cause non-autistic children to become autistic.
   • Many research studies have shown that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism.
   • There are likely many causes of autism, including various genetic and environmental factors.
   • The source of the MMR vaccine controversy stemmed from Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield's evidence of the vaccine causing autism was falsified, and his medical license was revoked.

Warnings

• Pregnant people should not get the vaccine and instead wait until they have delivered their child to get the injection.

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Sources and Citations

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