Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Mumps Vaccination: Who Needs It?
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Vaccine
Mumps vaccine (contained in MMR and MMRV vaccines) can prevent the mumps disease.
Mumps is a serious disease caused by the mumps virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, and swollen glands; which can lead to deafness, meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord covering), painful swelling of the testicles or ovaries, and, rarely, death. Consult the Mumps website for more details.
Who Needs It?
Does my child need this vaccine?
Children should get 2 doses of MMR vaccine:
- The first dose at 12-15 months of age
- The second dose at 4-6 years of age
These are the recommended ages. But children can get the second dose at any age, as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.
For additional details including risks from MMR vaccine, consult the MMR Vaccine Information Statement 
[63KB - 2 pages] and the Childhood Immunization Schedule.
As an adult, do I need this vaccine?
Some adults should also get MMR vaccine:
Generally, anyone 18 years of age or older who was born after 1956 should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine, unless they can show that they have had either the vaccines or the diseases.
Ask your provider for more information.
MMR vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Note: A “combination” vaccine called MMRV, which contains both MMR and varicella (chickenpox) vaccines, may be given instead of the two individual vaccines to people 12 years of age and younger.
Some people should not get MMR vaccine or should wait:
- People should not get MMR vaccine who have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to
gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or to a previous dose of MMR vaccine.
People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting MMR vaccine. - Pregnant women should wait to get MMR vaccine until after they have given birth. Women should avoid getting pregnant for 4 weeks after getting MMR vaccine.
- Some people should check with their doctor about whether they should get MMR vaccine, including
anyone who:
- Has HIV/AIDS, or another disease that affects the immune system
- Is being treated with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for 2 weeks or longer.
- Has any kind of cancer
- Is taking cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
- Has ever had a low platelet count (a blood disorder)
- People who recently had a transfusion or were given other blood products should ask their doctor when they may get MMR vaccine.
Ask your provider for more information.
For additional details including risks from MMR vaccine, consult the MMR Vaccine Information Statement [63KB - 2 pages] and the Adult Immunization Schedule.
*Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations
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Content last reviewed on November 12, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases