Measles, Mumps & Rubella Vaccines

What You Need to Know

Why get vaccinated?

Measles, mumps, and rubella are serious diseases.

Measles

• Measles virus causes rash, cough, runny nose, eye irritation, and fever.
• It can lead to ear infection, pneumonia, seizures (jerking and staring), brain damage, and death.

Mumps

• 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.

Rubella (German Measles)

• Rubella virus causes rash, mild fever, and arthritis (mostly in women).
• If a woman gets rubella while she is pregnant, she could have a miscarriage or her baby could be born with serious birth defects.

You or your child could catch these diseases by being around someone who has them. They spread from person to person through the air.
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent these diseases.

Most children who get their MMR shots will not get these diseases. Many more children would get them if we stopped vaccinating.
Who should get MMR vaccine and when?\

Children should get 2 doses of MMR vaccine:

• The first at 12-15 months of age
• The second at 4-6 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.
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.

MMR vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Ask your doctor or nurse for more information

Some people should not get the 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 to 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:

• Has HIV/AIDS, or another disease that affects the immune system
• Is being treated with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for 2 weeks or longer
• Has any kind of cancer
• Is taking cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
• 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.

What are the risks from MMR vaccine?

A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of MMR vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.

Getting MMR vaccine is much safer than getting any of these three diseases.
Most people who get MMR vaccine do not have any problems with it.

Mild Problems

• Fever (up to 1 person out of 6)
• Mild rash (about 1 person out of 20)
• Swelling of glands in the cheeks or neck (rare)

If these problems occur, it is usually within 7-12 days after the shot. They occur less often after the second dose.
Moderate Problems

• Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever (about 1 out of 3,000 doses)
• Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, mostly in teenage or adult women (up to 1 out of 4)
• Temporary low platelet count, which can cause a bleeding disorder (about 1 out of 30,000 doses)

Severe Problems (Very Rare)

• Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses)
• Several other severe problems have been known to occur after a child gets MMR vaccine.

But this happens so rarely, experts cannot be sure whether they are caused by the vaccine or not. These include:

• Deafness
• Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness
• Permanent brain damage

What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?

What should I look for?

Any unusual conditions, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot.

A high fever or seizure, if it occurs, would happen 1 or 2 weeks after the shot.

What should I do?

• Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
• Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form.

Or you can file this report online through the VAERS website at www.vaers.org, or by calling 1-800-822-7967. VAERS does not provide medical advice.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

In the rare event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, a federal program has been created to help you pay for the care of those who have been harmed.

For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 1-800-338-2382 or visit the program’s website at www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp.

How can I learn more?

• Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
• Call your local or state health department’s immunization program.

Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO)
• Visit the National Immunization Program’s website at www.cdc.gov/nip.

Polio Vaccine For Children & Adults

What You Need To Know About Polio

What is polio?

Polio is a disease caused by a virus. It enters a child’s (or adults) body through the mouth. Sometimes it does not cause serious illness. But sometimes it causes paralysis (can’t move arm or leg). It can kill people who get it, usually by paralyzing the muscles that help them breathe.
Polio used to be very common in the United States. It paralyzed and killed thousands of people a year before we had a vaccine for it.

Why get vaccinated?

Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) can prevent polio.

History: A 1916 polio epidemic in the United States killed 6,000 people and paralyzed 27,000 more. In the early 1950’s there were more than 20,000 cases of polio each year. Polio vaccination was begun in 1955. By 1960 the number of cases had dropped to about 3,000 and by 1979 there were only about 10. The success of polio vaccination in the U.S. and other countries sparked a world-wide effort to eliminate polio.

Today: No wild polio has been reported in the United States for over 20 years. But the disease is still common in some parts of the world. It would only take one case of polio from another country to bring the disease back if we were not protected by vaccine. If the effort to eliminate the disease from the world is successful, some day we won’t need polio vaccine. Until then, we need to keep getting our children vaccinated.

Who should get polio vaccine and when?

IPV is a shot, given in the leg or arm, depending on age Polio vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Children

Most people should get polio vaccine when they are children. Children get 4 doses of IPV, at these ages:

• A dose at 2 months
• A dose at 4 months
• A dose at 6-18 months
• A booster dose at 4-6 years

Adults

Most adults do not need polio vaccine because they were already vaccinated as children. But three groups of adults are at higher risk and should consider polio vaccination:

• People traveling to areas of the world where polio is common.
• Laboratory workers who might handle polio virus.
• Health care workers treating patients who could have polio.

Adults in these three groups who have never been vaccinated against polio should get 3 doses of IPV:

• The first dose at any time.
• The second dose 1 to 2 months later.
• The third dose 6 to 12 months after the second.

Adults in these three groups who have had 1 or 2 doses of polio vaccine in the past should get the remaining 1 or 2 doses. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since the earlier dose(s).

Adults in these three groups who have had 3 or more doses of polio vaccine (either IPV or OPV) in the past may get a booster dose of IPV.

Ask your health care provider for more information.

Oral Polio Vaccine: No Longer Recommended

There are two kinds of polio vaccine: IPV, which is the shot recommended in the United States today, and a live, oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is drops that are swallowed.

Until recently OPV was recommended for most children in the United States. OPV helped us rid the country of polio, and it is still used in many parts of the world.

Both vaccines give immunity to polio, but OPV is better at keeping the disease from spreading to other people. However, for a few people (about one in 2.4 million), OPV actually causes polio. Since the risk of getting polio in the United States is now extremely low, experts believe that using oral polio vaccine is no longer worth the slight risk, except in limited circumstances which your doctor can describe. The polio shot (IPV) does not cause polio. If you or your child will be getting OPV, ask for a copy of the OPV supplemental Vaccine Information Statement.

Some people should not get IPV or should wait.

These people should not get IPV:

• Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the antibiotics neomycin, streptomycin or polymyxin B should not get the polio shot.
• Anyone who has a severe allergic reaction to a polio shot should not get another one.

These people should wait:

• Anyone who is moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting polio vaccine. People with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated.

Ask your health care provider for more information.

What are the risks from IPV?

Some people who get IPV get a sore spot where the shot was given. The vaccine used today has never been known to cause any serious problems, and most people don’t have any problems at all with it.

However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of a polio shot causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.

What if there is a serious reaction? What should I look for?

Look for any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever, or unusual behavior.

If a serious allergic reaction occurred, it would happen within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, weakness, hoarseness or wheezing, a fast heart beat, hives, dizziness, paleness, or swelling of the throat.

What should I do?

• Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.

Ask you doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form.

Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at www.vaers.org, or by calling 800-822-7967.

VAERS does not provide medical advice.

Reporting reactions helps experts learn about possible problems with vaccines.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

In the rare event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, there is a federal program that can help pay for the care of those who have been harmed.

For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 800-338-2382 or visit the program’s website at www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp.

How can I learn more?

• Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
• Call your local or state health department’s immunization program.
• Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at 800-232-4636 (800-CDC-INFO).
• Visit the National Immunizations Program’s website at www.cdc.gov/nip.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

This information has been provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Immunization Program.

Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Vaccine

What you Need To Know

What is Hib disease?

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease is a serious disease caused by a bacteria. It usually strikes children under 5 years old.
Your child can get Hib disease by being around other children or adults who may have the bacteria and not know it. The germs spread from person to person. If the germs stay in the child’s nose and throat, the child probably will not get sick. But sometimes the germs spread into the lungs or the bloodstream, and then Hib can cause serious problems.

Before Hib vaccine, Hib disease was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among children under 5 years old in the United States. Meningitis is an infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings, which can lead to lasting brain damage and deafness. Hib disease can also cause:

• Pneumonia
• Severe swelling in the throat, making it hard to breathe
• Infections of the blood, joints, bones, and covering of the heart
• Death

Before Hib vaccine, about 20,000 children in the United States under 5 years old got severe Hib disease each year and nearly 1 ,000 people died.

Hib vaccine can prevent Hib disease.

Many more children would get Hib disease if we stopped vaccinating.

Who should get Hib vaccine and when?

Children should get Hib vaccine at:

• 2 months of age
• 4 months of age
• 6 months of age
• 12-15 months of age
• Depending on what brand of Hib vaccine is used, your child might not need the dose at 6 months of age. Your doctor or nurse will tell you if this dose is needed.

If you miss a dose or get behind schedule, get the next dose as soon as you can. There is no need to start over.
Hib vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Older Children and Adults

Children over 5 years old usually do not need Hib vaccine. But some older children or adults with special health conditions should get it. These conditions include sickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS, removal of the spleen, bone marrow transplant, or cancer treatment with drugs. Ask you doctor or nurse for details.

Some people should not get Hib vaccine or should wait

• People who have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a previous dose of Hib vaccine should not get another dose.
• Children less than 6 weeks of age should not get Hib vaccine.
• People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting Hib vaccine.

Ask your doctor or nurse for more information.

What are the risks from Hib vaccine?

A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of Hib vaccine causing serious harm or death is extremely small.

Most people who get Hib vaccine do not have any problems with it.

Mild Problems

• Redness, warmth, or swelling where the shot was given (up to ¼ of children)
• Fever over 101°F (up to 1 out of 20 children)

If these problems happen, they usually start within a day of vaccination. They may last 2-3 days.

What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?

What should I look for?

Any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat, or dizziness within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot.

What should I do?

• Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
• Tell you doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
• Ask you doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form.

Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at www.vaers.org, or by calling 800-822-7967.

VAERS does not provide medical advice.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

In the rare event that you or your child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, a federal program has been created to help you pay for the care of those who have been harmed.

For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 800-338-2382 or visit the program’s website at www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp.

How can I learn more?

• Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
• Call your local or state health department’s immunization program.
• Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at 800-232-4636 (800-CDC-INFO).
• Visit the National Immunizations Program’s website at www.cdc.gov/nip.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

This information has been provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Immunization Program.