Fever after measles vaccination – should you worry?

Vaccination against diseases such as mumps, rubella and measles provides triple immunization at once, thereby saving time and minimizing emotional stress. Although this vaccination is easy to perform, the side effects of the measles, rubella, and mumps vaccine can be dangerous.

Complications

Complications after the vaccine in question are very rare and occur in exceptional cases. This may have the following consequences:

• toxic shock syndrome;
• glomerulonephritis;
• pain in the abdominal area;
• the percentage of platelets in the blood decreases temporarily;
• serous aseptic meningitis;
• sore throat and pneumonia;

• encephalitis;
• allergies may present as severe swelling, hives, or anaphylactic shock.

If the child is seriously ill from the first vaccination, revaccination cannot be done. The body may react differently to the vaccine, and these may not only be complications, but also side effects.

Body reaction

Side effects after the vaccination in question are a normal reaction of the body, this indicates that the human immune system is actively working.

There is no need for treatment, and within a week all unwanted symptoms will disappear.

Undesirable consequences have nothing to do with the vaccine if they appear earlier or later than a week or two after vaccination.

At different ages, the body’s reaction may differ, since all body systems are improved and with revaccination the reaction changes. At the age of one year, the reaction may resemble ARVI with the following symptoms:

• heat;

• a rash, urticaria appears;
• the throat becomes inflamed, a runny nose soon appears;
• appetite decreases and sleep is disturbed;
• diarrhea and loose stools;
• headache appears.

Local reactions also occur - the injection area swells and turns red. At the age of 6 years, the negative symptoms are the same, but the allergy manifests itself not only at the injection site, but throughout the body. Bacterial complications include otitis media, sore throat, bronchitis - these are the manifestations that arise due to non-compliance with recommendations and restrictions before vaccination or incorrect actions after, in particular, you cannot swim (you can wash in a warm shower, but not for long).

In what cases does the measles vaccine give rise to fever?

Preventing the development of a number of serious diseases through vaccination is an integral component of modern medicine. Measles is also on the list of diseases against which vaccinations are given.

Routine measles vaccination is indicated for children aged 12 months with revaccination at 6 years.

In addition, people who have not previously been vaccinated are advised to undergo emergency vaccination:

• after contact with a person with measles;
• in the event of a disease outbreak in your area of ​​residence;
• before traveling to countries affected by measles (Ukraine, Romania, Italy, Lithuania).

In this case, adults are given the vaccine twice to develop immunity, with an interval of 30-40 days between procedures.

The following drugs are mainly used for vaccination against measles:

• Ruvax is a monovaccine based on live measles virus grown in chicken embryos. Production - France;
• Priorix is ​​a combined vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), containing strains of these diseases cultured on chicken egg white cells and human diploid cells. Manufacturer – Belgium.

There are also vaccines from other manufacturers, directed both against measles (monovaccine) and against measles, mumps and rubella in combination. These are, for example, Trimovax (France), MMR II (USA), Indian and Russian vaccines.

Live viruses that are part of pharmaceuticals are antigens for the body, that is, foreign substances. Their introduction starts the process of producing antibodies that can subsequently resist pathogens. In this case, the development of a protective mechanism may be accompanied by the appearance of side effects, including a temperature reaction.

An increase in temperature after a single vaccine or a measles-mumps-rubella vaccination usually appears on days 5-14, when the virus has already taken root in the body and begins to multiply. Moreover, as a result of many years of observations, pediatricians noticed some features of the post-vaccination reaction:

• in young children, after vaccination against measles, the temperature rises much less frequently than in older children or adults;
• repeated vaccination is always accompanied by a higher temperature than the first. This is considered a positive development, since it indicates that the body has already developed immunity to measles antigens, quickly responding to the introduction of pathogenic viruses.

In addition to increased readings on the thermometer, other symptoms may appear after measles vaccination: skin rashes, runny nose, cough, headache, muscle or joint pain. Children, as a rule, become capricious, lose their appetite, and have trouble sleeping. The occurrence and intensity of these symptoms depends on the individual characteristics of the body. In the vast majority of cases, fever and other post-vaccination symptoms disappear after a few days.

Specific side effects

Separately, it is worth mentioning specific side effects, which are a reaction to a specific component of the vaccine, and not to the vaccine as a whole. Thus, negative symptoms can arise as a result of the body’s reaction to a component against one of the three diseases.

There is also no need to worry about specific adverse reactions. Within a week, all unwanted symptoms will disappear.

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Anti-measles component

Some negative states last no more than a day and do not require attention at all.

However, it is much easier to cope with undesirable consequences if you know about them in advance.

The measles component of the vaccine is the most reactogenic, and it is the consequences of this group that should be prepared for first.

The measles components of the vaccine are live, but you should not be afraid of it, since the viruses are very weak and are not capable of causing the development of infection. The child may experience the following reactions to the component in question:

• an allergic reaction may manifest as Quincke's edema, rashes or anaphylactic shock;
• post-vaccination inflammation of the brain and seizures;

• severe manifestation of a toxic reaction, which is accompanied by enlarged lymph nodes, weakness, redness and sore throat, rash;
• the rash may visually resemble measles infection;
• increase in temperature (not 40, but 39 maximum);
• nosebleeds are extremely rare;
• loss of appetite, snot and cough;
• Local reactions—swelling or redness—may persist for a couple of days.

Despite the fact that the negative symptoms associated with the measles component are considered the most complex and dangerous, they occur extremely rarely.

Anti-mumps component

The mumps component is also a weakened live vaccine, but it does not cause such severe negative symptoms.

The consequences are rare and not so pronounced. Manifestations are observed a week after mantu and reach their peak two weeks later.

• symptoms of meningitis are expressed by vomiting and nausea, cramps, weakness and headaches;
• toxic reactions are accompanied by a sharp deterioration in health and elevated temperature;
• the temperature rises for no more than 2 days;
• rhinitis occurs, the throat turns red;
• over the course of one to three days, the parotid salivary glands increase slightly.

Allergies occur extremely rarely and only if there is a history of allergies to preservatives, medications and food.

Anti-rubella component

The vaccine in question also includes live, attenuated rubella cells, to which the body's reaction is also rare and not severe.

The most typical reaction to the rubella component is considered to be a rash in the form of purple or small red spots.

Measles, rubella

Measles, rubella... It seems that we have already forgotten about these diseases and they began to seem to us something frivolous, long past. Maybe it is for this reason that some mothers begin to wonder why doctors insist so persistently on vaccination? We haven't seen anyone sick for a long time. And the diseases seem somehow frivolous. Whether this is true or not, we need to look into it in detail.

Measles is an acute infectious disease characterized by general intoxication, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nasopharynx, upper respiratory tract, and a characteristic rash. The causative agent of measles is a virus. It is unstable in the external environment: it dies at room temperature within 5-6 hours. The only source of infection is a sick person. The spread of the virus occurs when sneezing, coughing, or talking with droplets of saliva.

Who gets measles more often? Recently, due to mass measles immunization of children, adults have increasingly become ill with measles, the distinctive feature of which is severe intoxication and the predominance of symptoms of damage to the central nervous system. The incubation period averages 9 days.

Clinical picture. disease begins acutely with symptoms of general intoxication: the temperature rises to 38°C and above, appetite and sleep are disturbed, lethargy, headache, and irritability appear. In the very first hours of the disease, a profuse runny nose, sneezing, and a dry, rough, barking cough occur. The voice becomes hoarse and conjunctivitis develops. Then, usually on days 13-14, a rash from soft pink to deep red appears behind the ears, on the bridge of the nose, and on the cheeks, which quickly spreads to the entire face and neck. The next day it appears on the body, and then on the arms and legs. At the same time, all symptoms of general intoxication and catarrhal phenomena sharply intensify.

Complications of measles. The most common complications are inflammation of the lungs, nasopharynx, and conjunctiva. In every tenth child, the disease is complicated by pneumonia or severe otitis media; One in every thousand children develops encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

Prevention of measles: the most powerful, accessible and effective method of combating the infection is vaccination. According to epidemic indications, vaccination is necessary for all those in contact with a person with measles who do not have reliable information about the measles vaccination or previous measles vaccination. Measles vaccines create reliable immunity that lasts more than 20 years. Vaccination prevents the development of measles, even if it is carried out during a worsening epidemic situation.

Rubella is a viral disease characterized by a small-spotted rash, swollen lymph nodes, moderate fever and damage to the fetus in pregnant women. The causative agent of rubella is a virus that is unstable in the external environment and quickly dies when dried, under the influence of ultraviolet rays and disinfectants. The only source of infection is humans. Infection occurs by airborne droplets (in pregnant women - transplacentally).

Who gets rubella more often ? Due to the mass immunization of children, the age distribution is not so obvious, most often adults, the disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women! The incubation period lasts from 11 to 24 days (usually 16-20).

Clinical picture. Rubella begins with an enlargement of the occipital lymph nodes and an increase in body temperature to 38 degrees C. A little later, a runny nose and sometimes a cough appear. A rash appears 2–3 days after the onset of the disease. Rubella is characterized by a pinpoint, pink rash that begins with a rash on the face and spreads throughout the body. The rash with rubella, unlike measles, never merges, and slight itching may occur. The period of rash can be from several hours, during which not a trace remains of the rash, to 2 days.

Complications of rubella. With acquired rubella, the most common complication is arthritis. In adult patients they are observed more often than in children (30% in men, 5–6% in women). Swelling and tenderness of the joints appear 1-2 days after the rash disappears and last 5-10 days. The risk of infection for a pregnant woman is very high. The risk to the embryo is greater the earlier the infection occurs during pregnancy: during the 1st trimester, the risk of damage to the embryo is approximately 25%, after the fourth month it is reduced to zero. Primary maternal infection goes undetected in 50 percent of cases. Infection of the mother with rubella can lead to a syndrome of multiple defects - Greg's syndrome (triad), which includes damage to the cardiovascular system, eyes and hearing aid.

Prevention of rubella. The most powerful, accessible and effective method of combating infection is vaccination.

As we see, the diseases are serious and it is simply impossible to treat us with disdain . Their character is quite “adult”! But preventing diseases is very simple. Children are vaccinated against measles, rubella and mumps at the ages of 1 and 6 years! The immunity is strong, the vaccine itself very rarely causes complications. So, dear mothers, think about what threats you can save your baby from by following the recommendations of your pediatrician!

Epidemiologist Bondarev Alexey Viktorovich

What to do with the consequences?

Swelling and redness are considered normal, even if they do not go away within two days. Antipyretic, antiallergic and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used.

The sooner the vaccine is administered (taking into account the vaccination schedule), the better the child’s body will tolerate side effects.

Never stand in line at the hospital with your child: the father or grandmother should take the line, while you walk with the child outside to minimize contact with infected children.

Discuss with your doctor in advance how high the risk of side effects is and stock up on the necessary medications. Go to hospital if complications are too severe, as hospitalization is sometimes the only option.