MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) Vaccination

Eligible patients

  • Aged 5-50years without two previous MMR vaccines documented.
  • Aged 6-15 months and travelling to high-risk areas, including Auckland.
  • 15 month and four year olds coming for scheduled vaccines.

No vaccination for babies under six months or adults born before 01/01/1969 as per Ministry of Health guidelines.

Common Questions

Why do adults born before 1969 not require immunisation?
Adults born prior to 01/01/1969 are considered to have been exposed to measles virus and therefore have developed natural immunity.

Why can babies not be vaccinated?
It is not safe to vaccinate children under the age of six months with MMR vaccine. We recommend that you protect your infant by avoiding any unnecessary travel to high-risk areas (including Auckland, or enclosed spaces with a lot of other people), ask unvaccinated
individuals not to visit, and keep up to date with current local health board advice.

Why are nurses not vaccinating children early?
Between 6 and 12 months of age, your child will only develop short term immunity so will still require two further doses of MMR after 12 months of age to be protected. Children vaccinated after 12 months of age develop very good responses to a single dose of MMR vaccine. As we need to make sure that our vaccine supply does not run out, we need to
make sure that we prioritise a first dose of MMR for everyone before giving the childhood immunisations early.

Is chickenpox the same as measles?
No. They are different viruses. Measles is highly contagious and is associated with significant complications (especially in under 5s).

What are the symptoms of Measles?
Early signs: fever, cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis (inflammation in the eyes), and sometimes small white spots (Koplik spots) inside the mouth. A rash appears 2-4 days after the first symptoms, beginning at the hairline and gradually spreading down the body to the arms and legs. It usually takes 10-12 days from exposure to the first symptom. Individuals are contagious until approximately four days after the rash appears.

For more information, including about side effects of vaccination, please visit: https://www.immune.org.nz/diseases/measles