Overview
The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
- Measles causes fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, commonly followed by a rash that covers the whole body and can lead to severe, long-lasting, and sometimes life-long consequences.
- Mumps causes fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite, and swollen and tender salivary glands under the ears. It can lead to deafness, swelling of the brain and/or spinal cord covering, painful swelling of the testicles or ovaries, and, very rarely, death.
- Rubella causes fever, sore throat, rash, headache, and eye irritation. It can cause arthritis in up to half of teenage and adult women. If a woman gets rubella while she is pregnant, she could have a miscarriage or the baby could be born with serious birth defects.
Childhood Recommendations
Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine (or MMRV). The first dose is given between 12–15 months old and the second at 4–6 years old.
Infants traveling outside the U.S. or in an area with an outbreak should get a dose of MMR at 6 months old or older, followed by the two recommended doses.
Older children and adolescents need one or two doses of MMR if they aren’t already immune to measles, mumps, and rubella.
A third dose may be recommended in an outbreak.
Adult recommendations
Adults should get one or two doses of MMR if they aren’t already immune to measles, mumps, and rubella.
A third dose may be recommended in an outbreak.
Immunization schedules
Childhood schedules:
Adult schedule: