Aren t measles, mumps and rubella relatively harmless illnesses?
• Highly contagious respiratory disease • Causes rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, lasting about a week • Causes ear infections and pneumonia in 1 out of every 12 children who get it • Causes encephalitis that can lead to convulsions, deafness or mental retardation in 1 to 2 of every 2,000 people who get it • In 1989-90, there was a measles epidemic, resulting in 55,000 cases of measles, 11,000 hospitalizations, and 123 deaths. The majority of these cases were in unimmunized preschool children • Of every 1,000 people who get measles, 1 to 2 will die • Measles vaccine (contained in MMR, MR and measles vaccines) can prevent this disease Mumps • Causes fever, headache and swelling of one or both cheeks or sides of the jaw • Four to six persons out of 100 who get mumps will get meningitis • Inflammation of the testicles occurs in about 4 of every 10 adult males who get mumps, which may lead to sterility • May result in hearing loss, which is usually permanent Rubell
