The Risks of the MMR Vaccination
The physical reaction to the MMR vaccination may be old news to parents who have children over the age of 1 but I hope that my daughter’s experience will help all those who are coming up on their little one’s 1-year check up. I don’t intend to give any medical advice here; I am only sharing what happened to my daughter, Annabelle.
The MMR vaccine stands for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Children receive 2 doses of the vaccine. The first does is given at 12-15 months of age and the second at 4-6 years of age when they are about to enter school and are at a higher risk of contracting one of the diseases.
Annabelle received the MMR vaccine, Chickenpox vaccine, and Pneumoccal Conjugate vaccines at her 1-year well visit check up. My pediatrician warned me that in 10-14 days she might get a fever and a rash, because of the MMR shot. Exactly 10 days later she got a high fever. She was sick for three days with a fever of almost a 103 degrees and she had funky, runny poop. Then as the fever was finally settling down she broke out in a rash and her face swelled up. My instructions said that the rash shouldn’t last more than three days and to call if they turned purple. Thankfully the rash only lasted three days, but she was ill for a total of a week.
In the bigger picture I would rather my daughter get a fever and rash that goes away, than the more serious risks of measles, mumps, or rubella. The CDC states that 1 in 5 persons will get a fever and that 1 in 20 persons will get a rash from the vaccine. Annabelle was one of the lucky recipients of the 1 in 20 chance.
Some parents choose to separate the vaccine into three different shots to decrease the chance of a reaction. The CDC claims that there isn’t any reason to separate the shots and “studies have shown” that parents may forget to schedule the extra visits to receive all the rest of the vaccinations and thereby put their children at a higher risk of not getting vaccinated. I don’t know what exactly Dr. Sears suggests on the MMR vaccine, but a recent blog post on his site says that there may be a shortage of the plain Mumps vaccine and gives a few suggestions about how to handle the shortage. The decision to separate the combination shot or not to separate the shot is up to you.
Additional Resources:
The CDC Information Statement about MMR
Detailed Background and History about Measles and Mumps vaccines from The National Academies Press
Related Post:
Did your child have any reaction to the MMR shot? Did you separate the shot into three?
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Ohmygoodness, how scary!
We have delayed our kids shots and have been fortunate to not have any visible reactions. But it’s such a tough decision to know what to do!
I’m glad you posted that and warned new moms of the side effects of the vaccine. It also caught us off guard when Aly got a rash just like Annabelle’s… and a low-grade fever. After a lot of research, we realized it was the MMR shot and we were able to calm down but it was pretty scary at first. Especially the way the rash just appears all the sudden, seemingly out of nowhere!
Thanks, Beki. I am always overwhelmed with the information about all this. I don’t know who to believe half the time. It is a tough decision. I guess we just have to be informed and not be afraid to as our doctors about stuff.
Thank you, Julie! I know, it took us a few minutes to figure out why she was so sick. Luckily my doctor warned me, but I tell all my friends just in case their doctor doesn’t warn them. I don’t freak out so much if I have an inkling about what is going to happen.
Thank you for posting this! This happened to my first son after the MMR vaccine, and to date, i have declined the chicken pox vaccine for both of my boys. Yes, the rash is a small price to pay in comparison to a more serious illness, but it is still painful to watch your baby go through it.
I didn’t separate the shot into three, but I space out my kids’ shots so that they only got the one needle in an appointment. So, the day they got the MMR, they didn’t receive the other shots they were due for. I made a separate appointment for each shot they needed. I definitely believe in vaccinations though, but it makes me a little nervous getting them all at once! My daughter is incredibly small for her age, so I’m always a little nervous that they are putting the same dose in her 27 lb body that they are putting in kids who are 45 lbs. That rash is CRAZY!
This is a timely and helpful post for us – Eli’s getting some shots on Thursday and I’m sure this one is included. He’s 1 on Wednesday!
Oh poor baby!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a get well note for my friend.
Hope your daugther feels much better soon. I’ve just taken my elder daugther for her second MMR jab at 7 years old. While I did not choose to separate her shots into 3 lots, I’ve taken her to a doctor that administers the vaccine without mercury. I am not sure what the situation is like there for you in the States but in Singapore, from where I come from, most people do not know about the ill effects of mercury or that they can choose to separate the MMR vaccine into 3. Mercury can reduce brain development and has been cited as a possible cause to autism. I just don’t want to risk it!
this is funny you posted this becuase a mom on my moms forum works in a hospital nad right now they have her in pediatrics and a 5 year old came in (not your girls age though) and hadnt had his vaccines since he was 3. HIs parents skipped his 4 year ones and is now suffering from a lung virus that is covered under vaccines and completly preventable. She said IF he recovers, part of his lung will have to be removed and he will never be like normal kids w/ the activities he will be able to do (or not do).
So i think there are definatly two sides to it…on one hand, things like what happened to your daughter will happen BECAUSE of a vaccine, and on the other, things like that poor family are going through where thier child is dying becuase htey DIDNT get a vaccine.
Unfortantly, all we can do is weigh the risks for our own family and make th eright choice, which may not always be the right choice.
trisha
We didn’t separate the shots into 3 rounds either. We’ve been fortunate where the only reactions my kids have gotten from any shots is at worst a mild fever. Ava had her 1 year shots several weeks ago and didn’t experience a single reaction.
It’s unfortunate your daughter did have a reaction though. I can imagine the fear you had with her breakout. However, I agree with several parents responses, it’s a very small price to pay in preventing something serious down the road that could have been prevented. In general, people don’t necessarily make the wisest decisions out of fear.
I’ve been reading a great book by Dr. Bob Sears called “The Vaccine Book.” It is a great resource for questions just like these. He has a chapter for every vaccine that tells you exactly what’s in them, how they are made, risks, benefits, etc. At the end he even gives alternative schedules for people who are selective about the vaccines they want to give their kids or for parents who just want to spread them out. I think it is very important that we parents educate ourselves and are proactive about our childrens health. This book is a great tool!
My 15 month old daughter had the exact same reaction as Annabelle…freaked me out a little…but, the doc did warn us, and my wife already new. What burned me up is that Madelyn’s daycare didn’t know the side-effects. I’m getting calls all week…runny (barely) BMs…low grade fever (99.7)…’unexplained’ rash. I tried to tell them that she just had the MMR vaccine and that was expected. Oh no, they wouldn’t hear of it. So, I had to waste money to go to the doctor to verify and then to get an excuse…plus, I had to miss work for something we already knew. I know this blog isn’t for complaints against daycare providers, but, it sure would help if they had a little more knowledge.
@Mike – Oh, that would be incredibly frustrating. I know you have already resolved the situation, but maybe you could bring in a print out of the CDC information sheet that lists the side effects. This is what they give you at the doctor’s visit when your kid gets the vaccine. It may safe another parent a lot of grief.
Here is the link:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm#mmr
Thanks for posting your pictures. My daughter Mady has a fever and the same rash now! She had the MMR shot 10 days ago! I’m happy to hear that it only lasts a few days!
Thank you for posting the picture of the rash. My little Annabelle woke up this morning with the same rash. She got her 1st year shots exactly 10 days ago. She had a mild fever last night so I knew something was coming…She’s baby #4 but it always still concerns me when my kids get a rash. Thanks again
I am very glad to see that the rash and the sickness is caused by the MMR vaccination. The only odd thing that happen with my set of twins were that they both went into the PED on January 15, 09 and the rash started to appear on my twin boy only a day later which was the day before yesterday. The rash did not start getting worst and start spreading until yesterday into today. On the second day I felt his head and it did not feal warm so I did not take his temperature. He was however throwing up all night on the second night and had the runs. His twin sister also had the runs around the same time maybe two days later, but no rash yet. I only hope that him getting the side effects this early is nothing severe if most cases occur arouond ten days later.
Our daugther started developing rashes similar to Amanda’s yesterday. Although it is not as severe but it has concerned us very much. We called our doctor this morning and was told that it’s from the MMR shot that she had 12 days ago and like wise it should go away in about 3 days. She’s been fussy since yesterday and it has thrown off her sleeping pattern. We hope it will go away fast. We’re more relieved now from reading everyones replys and that it’s nothing severe.
We have similar situation. Our son son had MMR shot 10 days ago. 3 days ago he got a fever and his whole body was radiating heat – really hot. Yesterday we took him to doctor and all vitals were normal and were told that its probably related to MMR vaccine. At the doctor’s his internal temperature was normal but his body was still radiating a lot of heat on his back and neck. Thankfully, after 2 sleepless nights, his fever is not back, he slept 10 hours (nearly normal)… tonight, in the bath, i notice a rash. Mild red spots, just on his side and arm. He just went to sleep but I’ll be in to check on him about 20 times tonight, I’m sure. Thanks for all your postings. Its given me some peace of mind that the rash may appear.
My 16 month old son had his MMR vaccine last Monday. Three days ago he started the fever and by yesterday morning he woke up with the rash. His rash became persistantly worse throughout the day. We spent most of last night awake because he just couldn’t get comfortable. His rash is still bad today and he’s still quite uncomfortable, but I’m doing my best to help. I thought I’d let everyone know what I’ve been doing to try to comfort his itching on his little body. I’ve given him a bath in epson saly (2 cups in his bath water) which he really seemed to enjoy. It’s actually when he’s been most comfrtable all day. I’ve been giving him Benedryl every 4-6 hours (at his size, he can have 1 tsp…he weighs 30 lbs. According to my sister who’s a nurse, her book says babies over 20 lbs can have a teaspoon of CHILDREN’S Benadryl). I’ve also been covering his body in anti-itch cream. It was the only way I got him to sleep last night. Hope this helps. I was quite shocked at how much it can affect them. He’s my youngest of 5 kids and the only one to ever have this type of reaction. And in his case, it’s quite severe. Glad to know from this page that it should only last around 3 days.
Hi. My son was 18months exactly when he got his MMR shot. We got it about last month. Since he had the shot, he was sick for a few days, and running a temp. and started developing a rash, that the doctor’s say is a “heat rash/hives”. The rash doesn’t seem to bother him, as he still has it and it’s been almost a month since he got the shot. Everything seems normal, speech, mobility… but when the rash developed, he was limp, as in.. he wouldn’t move, when he’d try to stand, he’d literally fall over. The E.R. doctor said that it was most likely, soreness, in the legs from all of the shots. Also, included with the MMR shot we decided to go with the FLU shot. I think that was a mistake. Anyway, I am still wondering about the rash. Sometimes it’s just a little reddness on the cheeks, but when he’s playing or when getting dressed, little, and sometimes long shaped looking red weals, start to appear on his face and sometimes on his belly. Benadryl has worked, but it seems the rash still appears for no reason. Is this still a heat rash??
My daughter got her MMR (no chicken pox) shot 11 days ago and I noticed a rash this morning. Same situation as everyone here. She had been running a mild fever of about 100F that started 3 days ago that subsided on yesterday morning. She slept her normal 12hrs last night without a hitch.
I noticed the rash at about 9:00 this morning. Called the doctor and was told that it was probably being caused by the vaccine…just call if she gets a fever of 101F or more. And to also call if she gets extremely irritable The rash was very sudden and alarming but, it’s nice to see I’m not alone.
Thanks for this post. This is my second child but I have never experienced this before so I googled fever and rash to figure out why my 1 year old suddenly broke out and had a high fever. In the back of our minds we questioned the shots but didn’t think anymore about it since it was about 10 days ago. In fact, he also had an ear infection so I took him back to the dr at day 9 because he was still kinda fussy and running low grade fever. Same night he broke out in the rash. I have had those papers they give you so many times that I didn’t even think to read them again. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you for posting this. My son had the MMR vaccine 10 days ago. He started a fever two days ago, and broke out in a full blown rash this morning. I have never seen anything like it before, and this is my 2nd child. The Dr. seemed to think it had to be more than just areaction to the vaccine, and told me it could be very mild measles from the vaccine or more likely roseola and that it should take 2 weeks to go away. I don’t know what to think. Thank you for posting the photo of your daughter.
Thank you for sharing your experience. My 15-month-old had his MMR shot exactly 12 days ago and yesterday evening he had developed a fever of 101F. Today he still had it all day and before I put him to bed his temp was up to 101.7F. Have anyone else experienced their child developing such high fever more than 10 days after the vaccine? I am really worried. Especially because he has been having recurrent very high fevers every two to three weeks for over 6 months now and the doctors keep telling us it’s some kind of viral or bacterial infections and have given us antibiotics twice in just 3 months… Poor baby, I don’t know what to do anymore and now I’m really freaking out because he’s feverish again and don’t know if it’s from the vaccine or something else…
@Katia – I think that I remember my doctor telling me that around 10 days after the shot is when they would get sick. It sounds like it could be the vaccine, but I would definitely call and speak with a nurse to be sure. They can confirm if it is the vaccine or not.
I am so sorry your 15 month old is having such a rough time with the infections. I pray that he will recover quickly!
My 13 month old daughter got her MMR Vac exactly 7 days ago and out of no where her temp went up today with in a hour to 103.9! I was losing my mind! I tried to call the doctor and I got their automated answering service. So feeling there was no time to waste I got her in a room temp bath and after getting her out kept a cool compress on her neck. got her some ibuprofen and apple juice and with in that next hour her temp came down to 101.5. I’m glad I found your comments and read some other sites that gave me the same impression that this is normal and I can fully expect a rash as well. she is sleeping well now,last temp reading was 100.7 (3hrs since the 101.5 reading, was checking it like mad all along) and I’m not quite as freaked out but I have one eye on her at all times.
My 15 month old daughter started to have a high fever 5 days after
the MMR Vac. As high as 103.9 low 101.9. She has suffered for five days
with this. Will it ever go away? We have been to the Dr.twice. They gave
her Amoxicillin. She went from a very healthy and happy baby,to a sick and very sad. I was also wondering if five or more days on fever reducer med will harm her more than help her. I pray everyday for her to get better. I feel really bad for anyone who has a reaction to the MMR.
My 15 month old daughter started to have a high fever 5 days after
the MMR Vac. High as 103.9 low as 101.9. She has suffered for five days
with this. Will it ever go away? We have been to the Doctor twice. They gave her Amoxicillin. She went from a very healthy and happy baby,to sick and very sad. I was also wondering if five or more days on fever reducer med will harm her more than help her. I pray everyday for her to get better. I feel really bad for anyone who has a reaction to the MMR.