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7 Common side effects of measles vaccine to discuss with your doctor

Vaccines have changed our world for the better by preparing us to battle some of the deadliest diseases and health conditions. However, all vaccines are known to have side effects. The reason for this is not hard to fathom. The vaccine is constituted by a highly weakened form (weak strain) of the disease-causing organism itself. So, that is why the vaccine can easily cause the symptoms of the disease it is supposed to protect the individual from. Thus, the MMR vaccine (measles-mumps-rubella vaccine) causes side-effects like mild measles, mild mumps and mild rubella. It can also cause other related effects like inflammation, diarrhea, skin problems, irritability, headaches, nausea, eye problems, testicular swelling, etc. Read through to know a few side effects of MMR vaccine.

Mild measles

Between a week to 11 days after having received the vaccination, children often get a very mild form of measles. Thus, all symptoms of measles exhibit themselves but in a gentler form. There are rashes on the skin. These rashes will usually begin on the head and spread to other parts of the body. They can get very itchy but it is important not to scratch them. For two to three days, there is a general feeling of discomfort accompanied by fevers that can go very high. Appetite gets reduced and there may be slight swelling in the eyes also. It has been found that about 1 in 20 people develop these measles-rashes. Even those that develop it, suffer from it for only a week at the most. The symptoms then subside by themselves and go away.

Mild mumps

About 1 in 50 children exhibit a mild form of mumps when injected with the MMR vaccine. In such cases there is a slight swelling of the salivary glands, especially the parotid glands. Thus, there is pain in the neck, under the jaw or in the cheeks. This will result in pain during eating, chewing and swallowing. In some rare cases, there may also be fever accompanied by slight headaches. When these occur, the only solution is to go in for symptomatic relief. There is no specific treatment other than administering pain medication. The diet should be modified to make eating easy for the patient. Within 2 or 3 days, these side effects will subside on their own and thus should not be a cause for concern.

Rubella symptoms

One part of the MMR vaccine consists of immunization against rubella and hence the symptoms of ‘German measles’ as it is called can be seed to some degree. There are slight rashes on the face which later spread to other parts of the body. However, the most common rubella-like side effect that manifests when administered with MMR is pain in the joints. This was found especially true in adult women who were administered the vaccine, 3 weeks after its administration. The complaint is of stiff or swollen joints that get very painful. Like the other side-effects, these pains also last only a few days, 2-3 days at the maximum and then go away on their own. These pains could also be accompanied by slight headaches and fevers.

Inflammations

Among the many other reported side-effects of the MMR vaccine are the inflammations. There are chances of pain in the upper abdomen that radiates towards the back. This could be caused due to the inflammation of the pancreas or pancreatitis. It occurs with the dilation of the ductus choledochus and swelling of the caput pancreaticus. In cases, the fat layer under the skin also gets inflamed leading to panniculitis. This is usually at the spot where the shot is given. Testicular swellings have also been reported in some cases. Parotitis or the swelling of the salivary glands is a mild symptom of mumps which has already been discussed. Inflammation of the nerves occurs in some instances and this leads to encephalitis, encephalopathy, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and even the dreaded Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Vision problems

In a paper published by Dawbarns Law Firm in England, out of 600 subjects administered with MMR vaccine and closely studied, 40 of them had problems with vision. The problems with the eye are associated with problems occurring in the muscles of the eyes. These muscles get paralyzed, either completely or partially. This often leads to the problem of double vision and hazy vision. It has been theorized that these vaccine reactions are occurring on a larger scale these days because of the children being second-level vaccinees. This means that children have heightened sensitivity to it due to the mothers being vaccinated by the same.

ENT problems

Ear infections are known to occur in the subjects who have been administered the vaccine against measles. In rare cases, this has led to even permanent deafness. A runny nose that seems to be flu can also be a side-effect of the MMR vaccination. The throat also gets affected. It gets sore and in cases, the voice becomes hoarse. There is a lot of phleghm produced and the patient may have difficulty breathing. These symptoms begin a few days after receiving the immunization shot. It is best to relieve them symptomatically for they will subside after a few days and then disappear completely.

Irritability, allergy and other effects

One of the most common side-effects of this vaccine (as will be with any other injection when it comes to babies) is the inconsolable crying for a few hours. Nothing seems to pacify the baby after the shot. This also results in irritability. Allergic reactions like unexplained rashes, hives, swellings in the mouth and tongue and wheezing are also probable side-effects.

It is noteworthy that in extremely rare cases, the MMR vaccine has caused low blood platelets, seizures, loss of consciousness, coma and even permanent brain damage. The mechanism by which these happen is not yet completely understood. So, there is no way that the healthcare provider can be aware. This makes vigilance and active reporting of any symptoms of paramount importance.

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