MMR Vaccine

Jolie, BSN · Sep 16, 2015

It is possible, and not uncommon to have immunity to 1 or 2 of the 3 viruses contained in the MMR (or any combination vaccine.) While not often used, there are separate vaccines available for measles, mumps and rubella. Since you only need protection against one of those viruses, ask your doctor's office or health department if they will order or provide a single-agent vaccine. Mine was willing to do so.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 16, 2015

Hi All,
So I had my titers ran and my MMR came back highly immune for all except the measles, has anyone experienced this? I am wondering if the lab messed up.

It's also entirely possible you ARE immune to measles. Sometimes a blood sample will simply not contain enough antibodies to indicate immunity, BUT when there are multiple tests being run from a single sample there is a decided chance it's the sample that's the problem...not your immune system. I've seen it happen a number of times, especially when I'm requesting a Hep B panel as well at the same time. No immunity to Hep B....and upon repeat, looking for the antigen only....person is immune after all.

Ask for a repeat titer, for rubeola ONLY. THEN if the results indicate you really are not immune (antibody count too low), a booster is an easy fix :). There's also no harm in getting a single dose of MMR (even if you don't need the others, it's a common form, usually carried, for the vaccine to come in).

CodeBrownQueen, ASN, LPN · Sep 16, 2015

Hey thanks for the replies! What amuses me is I had to have this done for employment at a hospital, either someone dropped the ball and did not tell me I needed a booster, or the lab really messed up. Either way, I find it very interesting we are required to acquire all these immunizations from the time we are little in order to go to school, and as long as a parent can show an immunization record no one blinks twice. How does that truly prove immunity though? The internet is laden with people who received multiple doses of vaccines because every time a titer was ran it came back negative.

I'm not anti-vaccine per se, but the more I read about situations were people are still contracting full blown diseases post-immunization it definitely makes me wonder and reconsider justifications behind having immunizations in general (PLEASE DO NOT START A FLAME WAR OF VAC VS NON-VAC, THESE ARE JUST MY MUSINGS) if no one is going to actually test for immunity post-vac to see if it took.

jennyoh · Feb 12, 2017

I don't think single vaccines in the MMR exist anymore

studentbear, CNA · Feb 12, 2017

Hey thanks for the replies! What amuses me is I had to have this done for employment at a hospital, either someone dropped the ball and did not tell me I needed a booster, or the lab really messed up. Either way, I find it very interesting we are required to acquire all these immunizations from the time we are little in order to go to school, and as long as a parent can show an immunization record no one blinks twice. How does that truly prove immunity though? The internet is laden with people who received multiple doses of vaccines because every time a titer was ran it came back negative.
I'm not anti-vaccine per se, but the more I read about situations were people are still contracting full blown diseases post-immunization it definitely makes me wonder and reconsider justifications behind having immunizations in general (PLEASE DO NOT START A FLAME WAR OF VAC VS NON-VAC, THESE ARE JUST MY MUSINGS) if no one is going to actually test for immunity post-vac to see if it took.

Not trying to start a debate, but vaccines aren't 100% effective which is why sometimes people contract diseases that they have been vaccinated against.