From the Guidelines
The MMR vaccine provides long-term, probably lifelong immunity in most persons, with two doses inducing serologic evidence of measles immunity in greater than 99% of individuals. When considering the duration of immunity provided by the MMR vaccine, several key points emerge from the evidence 1. The vaccine's ability to induce long-term immunity is supported by both serologic and epidemiologic evidence, suggesting that immunity is likely lifelong for most people 1. Some of the key factors influencing the duration of immunity include:
- The age at vaccination, with greater than 99% of persons who receive two doses of measles vaccine at or after the first birthday developing serologic evidence of measles immunity 1
- The presence of an anamnestic immune response upon revaccination in individuals who appear to lose antibody, indicating probable ongoing immunity 1
- The rare occurrence of secondary vaccine failure, where immunity wanes after successful vaccination, which has little effect on measles transmission and outbreak occurrence 1 Given this information, the standard MMR vaccination schedule, which includes two doses, is typically sufficient to provide lifelong protection for most people, making booster shots unnecessary for adults who have received both childhood doses.
From the Research
Duration of Immunity Provided by the MMR Vaccine
- The duration of immunity provided by the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is a topic of ongoing research, with various studies investigating the long-term effects of the vaccine 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- A study published in 2024 found that approximately 5 and 9-11 years after receipt of a third MMR dose, the geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of measles antibodies declined from 428 mIU/mL to 381 mIU/mL, while rubella GMCs remained stable throughout the follow-up period 4.
- Another study published in 2016 found that one year after receipt of a third MMR dose, no subjects were seronegative for measles, and only 10 out of 617 subjects had low neutralizing antibody levels 6.
- The immunogenicity of the MMR vaccine has been found to be generally similar to that of separately administered MMR plus varicella zoster vaccines, or a single dose of separately administered MMR plus varicella zoster vaccines followed by a dose of MMR vaccine 5.
- A study published in 2014 found that the seropositive rates of mumps decreased significantly 10 months after the first dose of MMR, but no significant change was found in measles and rubella 3.
- The MMR vaccine has been found to be well tolerated and immunogenic against measles, mumps, and rubella, with a schedule of first dose at 8 months and second dose at 18 months 3.