Measles is caused by a very infectious virus which can lead to serious and possibly life-threatening complications. Nearly everyone who catches it will have a high fever and a rash and will be very unwell. One in every 15 people gets complications, including infection of the lungs (pneumonia) and brain (encephalitis). Measles can kill – in a measles outbreak in Wales in 2013 over 1,200 people were infected, 88 needed hospital treatment and one person died. Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. You and your child are vulnerable to this deadly infection unless you are protected by the vaccine.
Mumps virus causes painful, swollen glands in the face, neck and jaw, and a fever and headache. Complications include infection of the brain (encephalitis) and the brain covering (meningitis). It can also cause painful swelling of the testicles in males and ovaries in women. Just under half of all males who get mumps-related testicular pain and swelling notice some shrinkage of their testicles.
Rubella (German measles) is a disease caused by a virus spread by coughs and sneezes. In children it is usually mild and can go unnoticed but may cause a brief rash, swollen glands and a sore throat. But catching rubella while pregnant is very serious for the unborn baby. It can seriously damage their sight, hearing, heart and brain. This condition is called congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). If women get rubella infection in the first three months of pregnancy it causes damage to the unborn baby in up to nine out of 10 cases. In the five years before the MMR vaccine was introduced, about 43 babies a year in the UK were born with congenital rubella syndrome.