Benefits of MMR Vaccine for Adults
Adults born during or after 1957 should receive at least one dose of MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella, with certain groups requiring a second dose for optimal protection against these potentially serious diseases. 1
Primary Benefits of MMR Vaccination for Adults
- MMR vaccination provides protection against three potentially serious diseases - measles, mumps, and rubella - with seroconversion rates of 95-100% for each component 2
- Immunity from MMR vaccination appears to be long-lasting and may even be lifelong 2
- MMR vaccination helps prevent outbreaks and contributes to community protection (herd immunity) 3
- Vaccination protects against complications of natural infection, which can include pneumonia, encephalitis, and death (measles); orchitis, oophoritis, and meningitis (mumps); and congenital rubella syndrome in infants born to infected pregnant women (rubella) 4
Who Needs MMR Vaccination as an Adult
Adults born during or after 1957 should receive at least one dose of MMR vaccine unless they have:
- Documentation of vaccination with at least one dose of measles-, rubella-, and mumps-containing vaccine
- Laboratory evidence of immunity
- History of physician-diagnosed disease (except for rubella) 1
Adults born before 1957 are generally considered immune to measles and mumps, except for healthcare workers 1, 5
Who Needs a Second Dose of MMR Vaccine
A second dose of MMR is recommended for adults who:
- Are students in postsecondary educational institutions 1, 5
- Work in healthcare facilities 1, 5
- Plan to travel internationally 1, 5
- Have been recently exposed to measles or are in an outbreak setting 1, 5
- Were previously vaccinated with killed measles vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type during 1963-1967 1, 5
- Live in a community experiencing a mumps outbreak and are in an affected age group 1
Special Considerations for Specific Populations
Healthcare Workers
- Healthcare facilities should consider recommending MMR vaccination to unvaccinated workers born before 1957 who lack laboratory evidence of immunity 1, 5
- During outbreaks, healthcare facilities should strongly consider recommending a dose of MMR vaccine to unvaccinated healthcare workers born before 1957 who lack serologic evidence of immunity 1
Women of Childbearing Age
- All women of childbearing age should be considered susceptible to rubella unless they have received at least one dose of MMR or have serologic evidence of immunity 1
- Rubella vaccination is particularly important for women who could become pregnant to prevent congenital rubella syndrome in their infants 1
- Women should avoid becoming pregnant for 4 weeks after MMR vaccination 1
International Travelers
- Protection against measles is especially important for persons planning foreign travel who have not had measles disease and have not been adequately vaccinated 1
- Travelers should ensure they are immune to measles, rubella, and mumps before traveling abroad 1
Safety Profile in Adults
- Serious adverse events after MMR vaccination in adults are rare, with incidence ≤6 per 100,000 doses for each serious outcome assessed 6
- Common non-serious adverse events include:
- Injection site reactions (157 per 100,000 doses)
- Rash (112.9 per 100,000 doses)
- Arthropathy (263 per 100,000 doses) 6
- Adverse events are more common among female recipients (30.1%) compared to males (19.4%) 7
- No severe adverse events were reported in a prospective cohort study of adult travelers receiving MMR vaccination 7
Contraindications and Precautions
- MMR vaccine should not be administered to:
Implementation Considerations
- Serologic screening before vaccination is not necessary for persons who have documentation of appropriate vaccination or other acceptable evidence of immunity 1
- During outbreaks, rapid vaccination is necessary to halt disease transmission, so serologic screening is not generally recommended 1
- MMR vaccine should be administered by intramuscular or deep subcutaneous injection 2