Q. I am thinking of breaking up the MMR into three separate shots. Do you recommend any type of schedule for this? I was thinking of measles at two, mumps at three and rubella at four.
A. I have heard the recommendation from Dr. Wakefield and others to break up the three components of the MMR. I understand the rationale but I don’t like it because it just adds shots to a child’s life while giving us two extra opportunities for something to go wrong. Because measles is such a deadly disease worldwide, I cannot recommend against this shot, but in my office, I discuss the MMR with each family on a case by case basis. I must never forget that there have been between one and two million deaths each year from measles in other countries. The United States’ vaccine program has virtually eliminated measles from the country.
There may be risks associated with the MMR vaccine but it certainly does work well. At the present time (mid-2001) I am not giving very many MMRs in my office.
