• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
  • Vaccine Recommendations

We have adult patients in our practice at high risk for measles, including patients going back to college or preparing for international travel, who don’t remember ever receiving MMR vaccine or having had measles disease. How should we manage these patients?

You have two options. You can test for immunity or you can just give 2 doses of MMR at least 4 weeks apart. There is no harm in giving MMR vaccine to a person who may already be immune to one or more of the vaccine viruses. If you or the patient opt for testing, and the tests indicate the patient is not immune to one or more of the vaccine components, give your patient 2 doses of MMR at least 4 weeks apart. If any test results are indeterminate or equivocal, consider your patient nonimmune. ACIP does not recommend serologic testing after vaccination because commercial tests may not be sensitive enough to reliably detect vaccine-induced immunity.

Last reviewed: June 19, 2023

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