Medical Questions » Vaccinations, Children Questions » Question No. 1006
| Question: | How safe and necessary is the measles vaccine? |
| Answer: | It is very safe and very necessary.
Measles is usually a relatively mild disease, but it may cause severe problems in a small number of children. These problems can include brain inflammation, ear infections, pneumonia, eye infections, fitting and (rarely in Australia) death.
The complications of the vaccine are extremely rare, and relatively mild. The most common (3%) is a very mild attack of the measles.
It is a vaccine that is normally combined with that against mumps and rubella, and so is very beneficial. It is normally given at 12 months of age, and again at five years of age.
If for no other reason than to avoid the inconvenience of a child developing the disease the day before you depart for your annual holiday, you should ensure that your child receives this vaccine.
Doctors hope that with intensive vaccination campaigns, measles may be totally eradicated in Australia.
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