14 Things You Should Know About MMR Vaccine

Ever since the anti-vaccine movement started, the MMR vaccine is one that has been subject to by far the most scrutiny. This vaccine that helps our children stay protected from measles, mumps, and rubella has become one of the main targets of the anti-vaccine campaigners due to a discredited — and later retracted — paper. It has been almost two decades since the paper was first published, but many anti-vaccination activists still cite it to confuse parents who are on the fence about whether or not they should vaccinate their children against these diseases.

The fact is that this vaccine is very important, and has played a large role in the minimization of disease-related deaths ever since its inception. One of the key benefits of this vaccine is the fact that it is very effective at protecting your children from measles — a disease that is very contagious as well as dangerous. There’s a lot that you should know about the MMR vaccine, but here are eight key facts that are crucial to your understanding of it.

1. The measles vaccine is among the most effective vaccines

As a general rule, most vaccines have been instrumental in the near-eradication of formerly deadly diseases. Practically all vaccines have managed to drastically reduce the number of annual cases for its targeted disease and leave on a fraction of the population vulnerable to them — usually those who can’t be vaccinated or simply don’t want to. That said, the MMR vaccine is one that is particularly impressive. While most vaccines have impressive effectivity rates, few can claim a higher one than that of the MMR vaccine.

The vaccine is effective in 93% of people who get a single dose, and a whopping 97% effective in those who get the doctor-recommended two doses. With such high effectivity rates, it wouldn’t make any sense to skip out on this vaccine. Furthermore, it has high effectivity rates with some truly dangerous diseases. 97% effectivity with measles is more significant than 99% effectivity with the common cold.