Mumps, measles and rubella

[ksbluesfan]

I had measles in 1970 when I was 5 (give or take a few years). Can I get the measles again? Can I get mumps or rubella too? I'm confused because they give one shot or two shots for mumps, measles and rubella. Are these diseases different strains of the same virus? Stupid question, I know. I recently read that adults can get MMR boosters, but I don't recall ever getting the shot.

Also, I can't remember the last time I got the Td/Tdap shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, but I think it was about 10 years ago.

FWIW, I'm 45 and male.

I regret not keeping better track of my health record.

 

[bozman]

You won't get measles a second time.

 

[arthwollipot]

Probably.

 

[pgwenthold]

I had measles in 1970 when I was 5 (give or take a few years). Can I get the measles again? Can I get mumps or rubella too? I'm confused because they give one shot or two shots for mumps, measles and rubella. Are these diseases different strains of the same virus? Stupid question, I know. I recently read that adults can get MMR boosters, but I don't recall ever getting the shot.

Also, I can't remember the last time I got the Td/Tdap shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, but I think it was about 10 years ago.

FWIW, I'm 45 and male.

I regret not keeping better track of my health record.

Get your TDaP. If you can't remember the last time you had it, it won't hurt to boost.

 

[ksbluesfan]

Get your TDaP. If you can't remember the last time you had it, it won't hurt to boost.

I plan to do that when I get the flu shot.

According to Wikipedia, the MMR vaccine is a combination of three component vaccines. It looks like you can get mumps or rubella if you have had the measles.

 

[Capsid]

I plan to do that when I get the flu shot.

According to Wikipedia, the MMR vaccine is a combination of three component vaccines. It looks like you can get mumps or rubella if you have had the measles.

Yes, measles, mumps and rubella are caused by three distinct viruses. The vaccine contains live attenuated versions of the wild type viruses which immunise you but don't give you the diseases.

 

[T.A.M.]

Yes, in a nutshell vaccines tend to come in two main varieties, inactivated (dead) and Live attenuated vaccines. The former, are as per description, vaccines containing dead virus or viral particles. The latter contains live virus, but said virus is made extremely less virulent or non virulent through removal of genes, proteins, etc...

Benefits of the live vax are speed of immunity and duration of immunity. Disadvantages are the rare case of reverse to virulence (ie it becomes active again and gives you the illness....extremely rare) and the fact that You cannot have them if you are immune compromised.

TAM

 

[blutoski]

I regret not keeping better track of my health record.

You and me both. I just never seem to learn.

Every time I head into ER after a bike crash or cut from something sharp in the water, they ask for proof of my recent tetanus shot. Which, of course, I never have. I must have had 50 tetanus shots over the last decade.

My commitment for 2010 is to find my tetanus vaccine card and put it in my wallet, but I've turned the place upside down and there's no sign of it.

 

[blutoski]

I had measles in 1970 when I was 5 (give or take a few years). Can I get the measles again? Can I get mumps or rubella too? I'm confused because they give one shot or two shots for mumps, measles and rubella. Are these diseases different strains of the same virus? Stupid question, I know. I recently read that adults can get MMR boosters, but I don't recall ever getting the shot.

Also, I can't remember the last time I got the Td/Tdap shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, but I think it was about 10 years ago.

FWIW, I'm 45 and male.

I regret not keeping better track of my health record.

To answer your question about measles: you can become reinfected as an adult even if you have had childhood measles. However, reinfection is usually asymptomatic. You may assay positive for measles during a reinfection period (a couple of weeks), so it could impact your ability to travel.

There doesn't appear to be concern about pregnancy during reinfection. I'm not precisely sure why.

Useful citation: [Measles, Mumps, and Rubella -- Vaccine Use and Strategies for Elimination of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome and Control of Mumps: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) ]

 

[Emet]

Every time I head into ER after a bike crash or cut from something sharp in the water, they ask for proof of my recent tetanus shot. Which, of course, I never have. I must have had 50 tetanus shots over the last decade.

My commitment for 2010 is to find my tetanus vaccine card and put it in my wallet, but I've turned the place upside down and there's no sign of it.

I stay away from ERs, and I'm in the US. Were you required to receive the injection if you couldn't provide proof?

 

[blutoski]

I stay away from ERs, and I'm in the US. Were you required to receive the injection if you couldn't provide proof?

I'm in Canada. I don't think they required it in the legal powers sense, no.

The main problem was that without the documentation I wasn't 100% sure myself about the date of the last one: "Coulda been last year... oh wait, did I turn it down last year because I had one three summers ago when I was doing all those sled hauls up Seymour? Is that one year or four? Drat. Better be sure."

 

[pgwenthold]

Every time I head into ER after a bike crash or cut from something sharp in the water, they ask for proof of my recent tetanus shot. Which, of course, I never have. I must have had 50 tetanus shots over the last decade.

Dude, that's a lot of bike wrecks.

 

[blutoski]

Dude, that's a lot of bike wrecks.

Mostly from swimming, actually. Impossible to see junk underwater. I don't consider myself a clumsy person, but I confess I get more scrapes than average. Glass and syringes on the beach are another un-favourite of mine.

The worst: a few years ago in Dartmouth, I dove straight into a knot of rusty frayed cables that had been rowing regatta lane lines until the 1920s. It must have been clumped there two feet below the surface secretly disintegrating for three generations.

My wife thought I'd been attacked by some sort of lake shark.

 

[casebro]

Vaccine addiction, anybody?

 

[Emet]

Vaccine addiction, anybody?

Or tetanaphobic?

 

[Physiotherapist]

I had measles in 1970 when I was 5 (give or take a few years). Can I get the measles again? Can I get mumps or rubella too? I'm confused because they give one shot or two shots for mumps, measles and rubella. Are these diseases different strains of the same virus? Stupid question, I know. I recently read that adults can get MMR boosters, but I don't recall ever getting the shot.

Also, I can't remember the last time I got the Td/Tdap shot for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, but I think it was about 10 years ago.

Well of course you would not have had an MMR vaccine in 1970 - the MMR did not exist then.

I really don't quite understand why you want an MMR booster now? At the age of 45 what is the point? I had all the childhood illnesses around that time too - measles, mumps, chicken pox etc., and I have never considered getting any other vaccinations such as the MMR as an adult - okay, tetanus etc. and others that I have needed for work, but not an MMR. Don't really see the point - if you have had the diseases, then you have natural immunity.

 

[ksbluesfan]

Well of course you would not have had an MMR vaccine in 1970 - the MMR did not exist then.

I really don't quite understand why you want an MMR booster now? At the age of 45 what is the point? I had all the childhood illnesses around that time too - measles, mumps, chicken pox etc., and I have never considered getting any other vaccinations such as the MMR as an adult - okay, tetanus etc. and others that I have needed for work, but not an MMR. Don't really see the point - if you have had the diseases, then you have natural immunity.

Because I have only had the measles, not the mumps or rubella.

I had the chicken pox when I was a kid, and had shingles when I was 44. I don't want that ever again.

 

[Physiotherapist]

There is not a lot that can prevent you getting shingles - you can still get shingles even if you had chicken pox as a kid. No MMR vaccine as far as I know will prevent you getting shingles.

Is it really worth it though? Unless you have young children yourself or you work with children, I think it is unlikely that you would get mumps and rubella at the age of 45.

I was lucky myself - I didn't get the vaccines but had chicken pox (from a chicken pox party), mumps, measles and rubella, to which I have antibodies in my blood to this very day.

 

[Capsid]

There is not a lot that can prevent you getting shingles - you can still get shingles even if you had chicken pox as a kid. No MMR vaccine as far as I know will prevent you getting shingles.

Is it really worth it though? Unless you have young children yourself or you work with children, I think it is unlikely that you would get mumps and rubella at the age of 45.

I was lucky myself - I didn't get the vaccines but had chicken pox (from a chicken pox party), mumps, measles and rubella, to which I have antibodies in my blood to this very day.

You can't get shingles unless you have had chicken pox. Shingles is just a re-emergence of the Varicella zoster chicken pox virus. This normally happens in older people when their immune system fails to control the virus.

MMR does not immunise you against chicken pox, you need the Varciella vaccine to do that, I believe that is included with MMR now and called MMRV.

Getting infected with Rubella is only consequential for the foetus of pregnant women. We all get the vaccine to provide herd immunity to the unborn child.

ETA: One way to prevent shingles is to be in close contact with a child with chicken pox. You may get infected again and this will serve to boost your T cell immunity which will help control the Varicella virus. Provided of course that you have had chicken pox before and have some immunity.

 

[Deetee]

ETA: One way to prevent shingles is to be in close contact with a child with chicken pox. You may get infected again and this will serve to boost your T cell immunity which will help control the Varicella virus. Provided of course that you have had chicken pox before and have some immunity.

Or you could persuade someone to give you the shingles vaccine (Zostavax). You are too young to get it by right, but since you have already had one bad episode of shingles, you may get a doc who is sympathetic to the idea of vaccinating you to avert further attacks.