MMR Vaccine & Measles Fact Sheet

Overview

Measles is a self-limiting, childhood viral infection. Measles symptoms include a prodromal (initial) phase of cough, runny nose, eye irritation and fever, followed by a generalized rash on days 4–10 of the illness. Measles is contagious during the prodromal phase and for 3–4 days after rash onset. Most measles cases are benign. Before the measles mass vaccination program was introduced, nearly  everyone contracted measles and obtained  lifetime immunity by age 15. Rarely, measles can cause brain damage and death.

The MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine was introduced in 1971 to prevent cases of measles, mumps and rubella.

Autism

Boys vaccinated with their first MMR vaccine on time were 67% more likely to get diagnosed with autism compared to those boys who got their first vaccine after their third birthday (Destefano et al. 2004).

Seizures

The MMR vaccine causes febrile seizures (IOM Report, “Vaccine Adverse Events: Evidence and Causality,” 2012).

Other Side Effects

The MMR vaccine causes anaphylaxis, meningitis, encephalitis, thrombocytopenia, arthral- gia and vasculitis.

Encephalopathy

The MMR vaccine causes encephalopathy with autistic features which has been compensated by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (Hannah Poling case).

MMR Contraindication

The MMR vaccine should never be administered to a sick child, specifically with a fever above 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit (package insert).

Reported Deaths

There have been 106 deaths associated with the MMR or MMRV vaccine within the past 20 years as reported by VAERS (the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). The VAERS system captures about 1% of all vaccine adverse events (Lazarus et al. HHS AHRQ report).

Untested Virus Levels

The MMR vaccine contains virus levels (measles, mumps, and rubella) significantly higher than those originally safety tested with the vaccine was that approved by the FDA. The current vaccine has never been tested for safety (Kessler expert report from Merck Qui Tam case).

Allergy Concerns & MMR

MMR vaccine Ingredients of sorbitol and monosodium glutamate (MSG) both elicit sensitivity. Persons hypersensitive to eggs may be at “enhanced risk  of immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions.”

Fetal Cell Lines

The MMR vaccine is produced using fetal cell lines WI-38 and MRC-5 from second trimester abortions.

Reported Measles Deaths

There have been three reported deaths in the US involving measles infection in the past 10 years.

The first case in 2015 involved a 20-year-old female with numerous complications including comorbidities and immunocompromise due to immune suppressing drugs — the cause of death was pneumonia. In this case, the presence of measles in the patient was confirmed only through her autopsy.

Details of the second case (February 26, 2025) show a little girl entered the hospital emergency room with a case of measles that had nearly completely resolved, with a minor rash only on her legs. As confirmed by her hospital records, she was diagnosed with community acquired pneumonia and admitted to the hospital but was given inappropriate antibiotics (i.e., against the established standard of care) for the strain of bacteria (mycoplasma) causing her pneumonia.

The girl’s health declined and she was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital where her pneumonia was finally, correctly diagnosed. Ten hours after this diagnosis, she received the appropriate antibiotic but it was too late and she died the following day. The death was due to hospital error and not the measles.

Circulating Strain

Several tests have confirmed that the current circulating strain of measles in Gaines County, Texas is D8 which is a naturally occurring strain indigenous to Europe, especially the eastern Mediterranean region. Approximately 10% of the measles cases have been hospitalized.

Vaccine-Associated Measles

Vaccine-associated measles has been recorded in an adult medical tissue donation, an immunocompromised child, a healthy adult, and a healthy child. In the California 2014–15 outbreak, 31 of the 109 tested specimens were from the vaccine.