Mump protection
Question
My two-year-old has had the MMR jab, can she still get mumps?
Answer
The MMR vaccine works by exposing the body to a live, but weakened mixture of measles, mumps and rubella. The vaccine is strong enough to provoke the body's immune system to create antibodies to combat these diseases. The vaccine itself is too weak to cause any of the diseases in a child.
As your child has had the vaccine, this decreases her chances of getting measles, mumps or rubella significantly. As with all vaccines the MMR vaccine is not 100% effective, but if your daughter were to contract mumps it would likely be a much milder episode than if she hadn't had the vaccination.
You should feel free to discuss any concerns you may have about the MMR vaccination with your local doctor (GP).
Updated: 06/06/2011
Question answered by bss
