MR Vaccine: Don’t Trust Rumours Of Side Effects, Say Experts

Everyone is talking about the MR vaccine and if it is safe to administer this vaccine to your child. 

We asked Dr Anibha Pandey, Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatology At Apollo Cradle Royale, Delhi for her expert opinion about this subject and this is what she shared with us.

India, along with ten other WHO South-East Asia Region member countries, has resolved to eliminate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020. In India, more than 1.3 million children acquire measles infection and around 49,000 infected children die each year, contributing nearly 36% to the global figures.

Measles is a major childhood killer disease and rubella leads to lifelong birth defects. Both diseases have no cure, but can be prevented by taking the MR vaccine.

All children in the age group of 9 months to 15 years must take the Measles and Rubella vaccine. Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause foetal death or congenital defects; it leads to the development of birth defects in almost 40, 000 children annually in the country. Click here to find a downloadable list of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) recommended vaccinations for your kids (from 0-18 years) 

What’s the aim of the MR campaign:

The drive aims to rapidly build up population immunity by reaching out to all target children with the vaccine and eventually, reducing the associated morbidity and mortality. Measles immunization directly contributes to the reduction of under-five child mortality. In combination with the rubella vaccine, it will help control rubella and prevent CRS.

Rumours urging parents not to get their children vaccinated against measles and rubella (German Measles) is threatening India’s campaign to eliminate the disease. Fake alerts, which include texts and audio clips, claim the vaccine is banned in the US for causing serious side effects, including damaging a child’s immunity and memory. There is also the claim that the vaccine is being pushed into India by the global pharmaceutical industry looking for a market to dump their products

Side effects of the vaccine are mild pain and redness at the injection site, fever, rash and muscle aches and anaphylaxis. For parents who do not wish to vaccinate their child in schools approach a private practitioner or family physician and ask the doctor to administer MR vaccine to the child as part of the campaign. The vaccine is not compulsory and not forced on parents but the aim of the government is to provide a blanket cover and protect all the children from these two diseases.

Is the rubella vaccine safe or not? Find out in this exclusive video by Kidsstoppress