Mumps vaccine availability; what to do.

We have been informed by the manufacturers of the mumps vaccine, (Merck, USA) that the single vaccine will not be available for two years and may not be available at all in future. This means that we are unable to guarantee all three vaccines and therefore you will be unable to complete the course.
The reasons for the lack of availability have not been given. The problem with the mumps vaccine is that the Jeryl Lynn strain, that used in the MMR, is only made by Merck. While there are other strains made elsewhere, we are not allowed to import them for use in the UK. If a supplier is unable to provide measles or rubella, we can go to other manufacturers in the world who can provide suitable vaccines of the strains used in MMR. Not so, alas, with mumps.

What are your options?

1) Have MMR. This is the only guaranteed way at present that your child will receive all three components, and it is what I would advise you to do.
2) If you remain adamant that you will not have MMR, then having single measles and rubella, and waiting to see if the mumps vaccine eventually becomes available, is your other choice. It is still possible for you, at any stage, to opt for the MMR. If the mumps vaccine does not become available, you would be advised to have two lots of MMR, as you really should have two doses of protection against all three conditions. Unfortunately, research with the MMR vaccine has suggested that the mumps component only provides about 60% immunity with one dose (as opposed to 80-90% with one dose of measles and rubella). The fact that you might therefore have three lots of measles and/or rubella does not matter.
3) You could opt for measles alone for the time being, then, when your child is, say, over two years of age, opt for the MMR then. You would have protection against the nastiest one for the time being, then cover your child against the others when you might feel less unhappy about your child having the three-in-one. The advice about the second MMR dose given in the previous paragraph still applies. (The rationale for this approach is as follows: parents come to see me for the single vaccines for two reasons; either they are concerned about autism, or they do not like the idea of three live vaccines being administered simultaneously into a little body. I should emphasise these are not concerns I share. Autism is a condition which is present by the age of two to two-and-a-half years. It does not develop after that. So if that is the cause of concern, delaying the MMR until after 2 ½ might reassure parents. As regards the concern about three-in-one live vaccines; there is no doubt that a small number of 13-month old babies do have a reaction to the MMR. Older babies, almost certainly because they are bigger and more robust, do not have this problem). I should emphasise that the longer full vaccination is delayed, the greater the risks of exposure to the diseases against which you have not been vaccinated.

I reiterate that the most sensible option is MMR. That is what I did, twice, with all my children; it's safe, it's one jab, and it's free!
Please see separate information for measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) infections.Dr CWK Parry 1/9/09