Vaccine Safety

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is a combination vaccine that was licensed in 1971 to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. These diseases are serious and can be potentially deadly. Each year in the United States's, nearly 10 million doses of the vaccine are distributed. CDC continues to recommend two doses of MMR vaccine for all children: dose 1 at ages 12-15 months, and dose 2 at ages 4-6 years.

Close-up of a baby with her eyes looking to her left.

MMR Vaccine Safety Studies

Related Scientific Articles

Barlow WE, Davis RL, Glasser JW, Rhodes PH, Thompson RS, Mullooly JP, Black SB, Shinefield HR, Ward JI, Marcy SM, DeStefano F, Chen RT, Immanuel V, Pearson JA, Vadheim CM, Rebolledo V, Christakis D, Benson PJ, Lewis N. The risk of seizures after receipt of whole-cell pertussis or measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. New England Journal of Medicine 2001;345(9):656–661.

Black S, Shinefield H, Ray P, Lewis E, Chen R, Glasser J, Hadler S, Hardy J, Rhodes P, Swint E, Davis R, Thompson R, Mullooly J, Marcy M, Vadheim C, Ward J, Rastogi S, Wise R. Risk of hospitalization because of aseptic meningitis after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in one- to two-year-old children: an analysis of the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 1997;16(5):500–503.

Davis RL, Kramarz P, Bohlke K, Thompson RS, Mullooly J, Black S, Shinefield H, Ward J, Marcy M, Eriksen E, Lewis N, DeStefano F, Chen R. Measles-mumps-rubella and other measles-containing vaccines do not increase the risk for inflammatory bowel disease: a case-control study from the vaccine safety datalink project. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2001;155(3):354–359.

DeStefano F, Chen RT. Negative association between MMR and autism. [Commentary] Lancet 1999;353(9169):1987–1988.

MMWR Articles about the MMR Vaccine

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