Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious diseases that can have serious complications. The MMR vaccine protects against these conditions and prevents outbreaks of the diseases.
Measles
Measles is a potentially fatal illness that can cause a range of symptoms, including ear infections, diarrhoea, bronchitis, convulsions (fits) and brain damage.
It spreads very easily. You can catch measles if you spend just 15 minutes with someone who has the disease.
Measles is back on the increase in the UK, mainly because some school-aged children were not vaccinated as babies and pre-schoolers. There were more than 800 cases of measles and one death during a recent outbreak in Wales. It's never too late to be vaccinated against measles. Find out how to get protected during a measles outbreak.
There have also been several outbreaks of measles in European countries in recent years, such as in Bulgaria (2010) and France (2011). If you are planning a holiday or attending a music festival in mainland Europe and you've never had measles or been vaccinated against it, ask your GP if you can have MMR vaccination.
Mumps
Mumps can cause viral meningitis in children. It can also cause:
Rubella (german measles)
Rubella can cause:
Rubella also damages unborn babies and can cause miscarriage. There is also a chance that if a woman develops rubella while she is pregnant, the baby might be born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which can cause deafness, blindness and damage to the heart or brain.
