MMR Vaccine for Adults – Testing and the Combination Vaccine for Measles, Rubella and Mumps
Measles, rubella and mumps all carry a high risk of becoming severe when adults are infected, and can even lead to death.
In recent years, cases of measles have been reported within Japan as well, and because these are infections close to home, prevention is important.
Here we explain the symptoms, vaccines and testing for measles, rubella and mumps.
– Measles, rubella and mumps all carry a risk of becoming severe when adults are infected.
– Measles is an infection whose increase is a concern within Japan as well, so caution is needed.
– A single vaccine can prevent measles, rubella and mumps all together.
– If you are unsure whether you have antibodies, testing is available.
Click any item in the table of contents to jump partway into the article.
What Are Measles, Rubella and Mumps?
Measles, rubella and mumps are all highly contagious infections that carry a risk of becoming severe when adults are infected.
Since 2020, the number of measles cases had been trending downward nationwide, but since 2023 there have been reports of domestic infections triggered by imported cases from overseas. Because a further increase in domestic cases is a concern, this is an infection that requires caution not only from those traveling abroad.
Measles is a serious infection that causes complications and can lead to death.
It is an airborne infection, and the virus may survive in the air of a room where a person with measles has been for as long as 2 hours.
In addition, it is extremely contagious, and it is said that when 1 person is infected, up to 90 percent of the people near them will also become infected.
Symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and include high fever, cough and runny nose. Characteristically, a rash appears 3 to 5 days after the initial symptoms.
It is also an infection that causes complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, and can lead to death.
Like measles, rubella is also an infection that can lead to death. Its routes of transmission are droplet transmission (an infected person coughs or sneezes, scattering saliva and other droplets containing the virus, which people nearby breathe in and become infected) and contact transmission (using the same tableware as an infected person, or touching a mucous membrane with a hand that has touched a doorknob or other surface with virus on it).
Its symptoms resemble those of measles, but because it resolves more quickly than measles it is also called three-day measles.
Symptoms include fever and a rash accompanied by swollen lymph nodes, but about 25 percent to 50 percent of those infected have no symptoms.
If rubella is contracted in early pregnancy, there is a risk of stillbirth, and babies may be born with congenital rubella syndrome (cataracts, cardiac abnormalities, hearing impairment, etc.).
For this reason, prevention of infection is important for those who may become pregnant and for those around them.
Mumps is an infection characterized by swelling of the parotid glands. Its routes of transmission are droplet transmission and contact transmission.
After an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks, symptoms of fever, headache, and swelling and pain of the parotid glands on both sides appear. Adults are more likely than children to develop severe illness, with a risk of complications such as encephalitis, oophoritis, orchitis and hearing loss.
About the MMR Vaccine
Vaccines are effective for preventing measles, rubella and mumps.
Among domestically produced vaccines, the bivalent combination vaccine for measles and rubella (MR vaccine) is the mainstream, and there is no trivalent combination vaccine (MMR vaccine) that includes mumps.
However, in more than 100 countries including the United States, Canada and Australia, the trivalent combination vaccine is the mainstream, and its efficacy and safety are recognized.
For this reason, we carry Priorix, an imported trivalent combination vaccine.
As for efficacy, a single dose is said to provide 93 percent protection against measles, 97 percent against rubella and 78 percent against mumps, and two doses to provide 97 percent protection against measles and 88 percent against mumps.
At present, the measles and rubella vaccines are covered by the routine vaccination program, and there are opportunities to receive 2 doses during childhood.
However, those born before it became a routine vaccination may be unvaccinated or may have received only 1 dose, and may not have sufficient antibodies to prevent infection.
If you are unsure whether you have been vaccinated, please check your Maternal and Child Health Handbook.
(New Trivalent Combination Vaccine)
Contents: combination vaccine for measles, rubella and mumps
Price: 10,000 yen per dose* (tax included)
Number of doses: 1 or 2
Vaccination schedule: initial dose, then 1 month later
Note:
– If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccination, be sure to consult with a doctor.
– If you are pregnant or may be pregnant, you cannot receive this vaccination.
– If you are HIV positive, be sure to consult with a doctor.
*A separate consultation fee applies for the initial visit only. (The initial consultation fee is 2,500 yen and the follow-up fee is 1,000 yen, all tax included.)
Side Effects of the MMR Vaccine
Common side effects include pain at the vaccination site, fever and a mild rash.
All of these resolve naturally, but if your symptoms are distressing, symptomatic treatment covered by insurance may be possible in some cases, so please consult with us.
In addition, the vaccine we carry has a track record of being commonly administered around the world, and serious side effects are extremely rare.
Because it is a vaccine not approved in Japan, there is no public compensation system, but in the unlikely event that a serious side effect occurs, the private compensation system for adverse reactions to imported vaccines may apply.
About Antibody Testing
An antibody is a protein that, when bacteria or viruses that cause disease enter the body, plays the role of attacking them and eliminating them from the body.
In other words, if sufficient antibodies have formed in your body, then even if you come into contact with an infected person, you will not become infected, or if you do become infected, it is less likely to become severe.
At our clinic we perform testing to examine antibody titers (how many antibodies are in your body).
For those hesitating about vaccination, one option is to first undergo testing to confirm whether you have antibodies.
Measles virus antibody test (EIA method): 3,000 yen (tax included)
Rubella virus antibody test (EIA method): 3,000 yen (tax included)
Mumps virus antibody test (EIA method): 3,000 yen (tax included)
– If you are having testing only, we will bill you for the testing fee alone.
– If you would like to consult with a doctor, a separate consultation fee applies. (The initial consultation fee is 2,500 yen and the follow-up fee is 1,000 yen, all tax included.)
<Dr. Daisuke Shiojiri>
Director of Personal Health Clinic, Doctor of Medical Science.
At the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (Shinjuku, Tokyo) and Personal Health Clinic, he provides accurate, evidence-based knowledge on HIV, PrEP and other STI testing and treatment, along with care that stays close to each patient's feelings.
Born in Japan but raised in Kenya, Africa, he also obtained a medical license there and carries out medical and educational support activities locally.
He also sees patients at our clinic as a part-time physician.
