FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
Why you should vaccinate adults against measles, mumps and rubella
- Measles’ complications are more common among adults. Approximately 20 percent of those with measles experience one or more complications including diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures and death.
- Measles is extremely contagious; 90 percent of susceptible household contacts of a person with measles will become infected.
- There is at least a 20 percent chance of damage to the fetus if a woman is infected with rubella early in pregnancy.
- While the incidence of mumps has decreased dramatically in the U.S. since the development of the MMR vaccine, outbreaks do occur. A multi-state outbreak with more than 4,000 reported cases occurred in 2006.
- Mumps virus remains endemic in many countries throughout the world, yet mumps vaccine is used in only 57 percent of World Health Organization member-countries.
