MMR boosters after puberty...

[mamakah]

I was just lurking in another thread and read that MMR boosters are known to be highly reactive after puberty.  Can we have a discussion about this? That was the first I heard of it.

Any info would be great!

Thanks!

[steph66]

hmmm......this is the first i've heard of it too. I'm very interested on any information on this subject. in the mean time.....

[mamakay]

The MMR booster is only going to be "reactive" after puberty if the vaccinated person is no longer immune. That's the way live vaccines work.

Imagine that you catch the flu, and give it to a friend when they come to bring you NyQuil at the height of your illness. And then you go to bring them NyQuil a week or two later, after you've recovered and they're sick with the flu they caught from you. You're not going to "react" to being exposed to their flu virus, because you're now WAY immune to it.

The rubella part of the MMR, and wild rubella even moreso, both can cause transient arthritis after /during puberty in the non-immune. I'm pretty sure that's where the "reactive booster after puberty" idea is coming from.

[mamakah]

Thank you!

So, then wouldn't that mean that vaccinating a child FOR THE FIRST TIME as a teen with MMR will likely cause a reaction? I don't vax at all, but a friend of mine has decided to hold off on MMR, and give it to her DD when she's a preteen and in the "risk" age for Measles and Rubella.  After reading this, I'm thinking she may need to reconsider this.

Is this documented anywhere where I can read it and present it to her?

Thank you again Mamakay!

[mamakay]

Preteen is a good age to do the MMR if you're not going to get it earlier.

Here are some studies:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=rubella+vaccine+arthritis&btnG=Search&as_sdt=0%2C43&as_ylo=&as_vis=0

[mamakah]

Thanks again!

[miriam]

Yes, ask ACOG why it is so hard to get their membership to maintain their MMR boosters.  The well-known side effect of arthritis is debilitating and too many ob/gyns do not want to take a chance with jeopardizing their careers with painful arthritis.  This is the profession that is around pregnant women day and night.

Every pregnant woman by law since the mid-1970s has been checked at her first prenatal visit for her titre levels.  Most states since the mid 1970s also check as a requirement for a marriage license in addition to the Wasserman test, although there are always exemptions to this.

[mamakay]

Originally Posted by miriam 

Yes, ask ACOG why it is so hard to get their membership to maintain their MMR boosters.  The well-known side effect of arthritis is debilitating and too many ob/gyns do not want to take a chance with jeopardizing their careers with painful arthritis.  This is the profession that is around pregnant women day and night.

Every pregnant woman by law since the mid-1970s has been checked at her first prenatal visit for her titre levels.  Most states since the mid 1970s also check as a requirement for a marriage license in addition to the Wasserman test, although there are always exemptions to this.

Can I get a reliable link on the % of OBGYNs not immune to rubella?

[miriam]

Getting the ACOG membership to maintain their MMR booster has been a well-known problem since 1980.  ACOG has the official/reliable numbers.  Ask them.  More importantly, ask your own ob/gyn as he/she is around YOU .

Can I get a reliable link on the % of OBGYNs not immune to rubella?

OTOH, determining immunity would require drawing a titre.  If it is hard to get a doctor to maintain his boosters, how hard is it going to be to get  a doctor to get a record of his rubella immunity through a regular titre count on any regular basis?

[mamakay]

You're supposed to get 2 MMR shots in childhood, and most people have. Why would docs be different? (young docs, I mean. Old docs would probably be naturally immune.)

There's compelling evidence that the mumps part of the MMR sucks, and a third dose is needed (if we're not just going to quit/selective/delay vaxing against mumps, the mildest of the VPDs.)

Is there compelling evidence that the rubella part of the MMR is equally ineffective?

[miriam]

It