What are Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Diseases?

A virus causes these three diseases, and if they are not treated or prevented properly, they can lead to serious problems. 

• Measles is an infection common in childhood. It gives you a red, blotchy rash that starts in the face and behind the ears, spreading downwards to the rest of the body. You also get a fever, miserable cough, really runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Complications can cause pneumonia that can lead to death as well. Even if you completely recover from your measles, there are also long-term complications that result in developmental regression and death.
• Mumps affects your parotid glands over the angle of your jaw on each side of the face, causing them to swell. You may look like a chipmunk with a cheek full of nuts! It also brings fever, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, and makes you not want to eat. Mumps can also make you deaf to the point of permanent damage.
• Rubella, also known as German measles, is another disease known for its red rash, like measles. The rash of a newborn with rubella may look like blueberries on their skin. Other symptoms of congenital rubella include:
  • Heart problems
  • Eye problems, including cataracts and glaucoma
  • Intellectual disabilities.
  • Growth retardation.
  • Low birth weight.
  • Developmental delays.
  • Learning disabilities.
  • Deafness

These same symptoms can also show up in congenital and perinatal infections that are a part of the TORCH complex: toxoplasmosis, others (syphilis, hepatitis B), rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex. 

The difference between measles and rubella is that a different virus causes them, and rubella is not as severe. While it may be less severe, a pregnant woman with rubella could have a miscarriage or pass on serious birth defects to her newborn. Mothers are also protected to the extent that children are from the vaccine!

How Can We Protect Our Kids? 

Lucky for us, these diseases can be protected against with vaccinations!

The Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine protects our children from getting these diseases. Doctors recommend children between 12-15 months of age receive the MMR vaccine, and again between 4-6 years of age. Additionally, the vaccine delays the onset of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system. 

Currently, two MMR vaccines in the United States are approved for use: M-M-R 11 and PRIORIX. 

Getting the vaccine can prevent deafness, pneumonia, and other complications in our children. So, let’s make sure our kids get protected and return these diseases to the past!