The MPRV vaccine is mainly for pediatric use; however, it can also be used among adults, if they are not vaccinated and have not yet contracted one of the aforementioned infections.
Belonging to the mandatory vaccines of the pediatric age, the MPRV vaccine provides for administration by injection, divided into two dosages; in children, these two dosages are dated to the 14th month, the first, and to 5-6 years, the second; in adults, instead, they are usually closer together (a period of 4 weeks between one dose and the next is sufficient).
Example of a live attenuated vaccine, the MPRV vaccine is a drug with reduced adverse effects (the most common are minor clinical disturbances) and effective.
Currently, vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox is subject to the vaccination requirement established in 2017; consequently, the MMRV vaccine is mandatory.
The MMRV vaccine represents the alternative to the MMR vaccine combined with the varicella vaccine (N.B: the MMR vaccine is the trivalent vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella).
Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Chickenpox
Measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox are three contagious infectious diseases of viral origin (ie caused by viruses).
Before the advent of mass vaccinations against them, measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox represented three typical childhood infections.
Currently, there is still no specific therapy for measles, mumps, rubella and varicela: those who get sick, therefore, must wait for the spontaneous resolution of the infection (which usually occurs within 10-14 days).
Measles
Measles is due to a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus and to the family of Paramyxovirus.
The transmission of measles occurs mainly by direct contact, through saliva and volatile droplets emitted with coughing, sneezing or when speaking; however, transmission by indirect contact is also possible, ie by touching objects contaminated by the infectious agent.
Measles usually starts with a runny nose, sneezing, fever, general malaise, loss of appetite, cough, and fatigue; after which, 3-4 days after the onset of the first symptoms, it causes characteristic brownish-red spots, slightly raised, all over the body.
Measles tends to have a positive outcome; however, in some unfortunate circumstances, it can happen that it degenerates and gives rise to complications, such as: acute diarrhea, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, epilepsy, strabismus, encephalitis, meningitis and / or optic neuritis.
Prior to the mass vaccination against him, measles predominantly affected individuals between the ages of 1 and 5.
Mumps
Commonly known as mumps, mumps is due to a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Rubulavirus and to the family of Paramyxovirus.
Mumps is mainly transmitted by direct contact, through saliva and the volatile droplets emitted when coughing, sneezing or when talking; however, it is also possible to transmit it by indirect contact, that is by touching objects contaminated by the infectious agent.
Mumps is characterized by the inflammation of two important salivary glands: the parotid glands.
Generally, the individual who contracts mumps complains of pain near the ears (exacerbated by chewing and swallowing), fever, malaise, headache and widespread muscle aches.
As a rule, mumps resolves positively; however, in some rare circumstances, it can degenerate and lead to complications, such as: epididymitis in men, oophoritis in women, encephalitis, meningitis, pancreatitis and / or hearing damage.
Before the mass vaccination against him, the mumps mainly affected subjects between the ages of 5 and 9.
Rubella
Rubella is due to the Rubella virus, a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Rubivirus and to the family of Togavirus.
Mainly transmitted by direct contact via saliva and respiratory droplets, rubella presents with red spots all over the body (exanthema), swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes with flu-like symptoms (fever, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue , loss of appetite, etc.) and arthralgia (pain in the joints).
Rubella tends to have a positive outcome; on some unfortunate occasions, however, it can degenerate into complications, such as: encephalitis, otitis and / or thrombocytopenia.
Rubella is a very dangerous condition for pregnant women: it could cause spontaneous abortion or abnormalities in fetal development.
Before the mass vaccination against him, rubella mainly affected individuals between the ages of 5 and 9.
Chickenpox
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus, a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the genus Varicellovirus and the Herpes virus family.
Chickenpox manifests itself with a typical skin rash, characterized by itchy red patches which, over time, evolve into vesicles, then pustules and finally granular crusts; in addition to the skin rash, chickenpox also causes fever, general malaise and headache.
The transmission of chickenpox usually occurs directly, or through contact with the liquid contained in the skin vesicles or through saliva and volatile droplets emitted on occasions of sneezing, coughing, etc.
As a rule, chickenpox has a benign course; in rare circumstances, however, it can degenerate into complications, such as: encephalitis, pneumonia (especially in adults), thrombocytopenia, cerebellar ataxia and / or glomerulonephritis.
Before the mass vaccination against him, chickenpox mainly affected people between the ages of 4 and 10.
Measles, rubella and chicken pox are on the list of exanthematous diseases.
, from the mumps virus, from Rubella virus and the herpes zoster virus.The MPRV vaccine is a vaccine for pediatric use but not only: it could be indicated, in fact, also to adolescents and adults, if they were not vaccinated and had never contracted at least one of the infectious diseases in question (having fallen ill with measles, mumps, rubella and / or chickenpox causes you to then become immune to the viral agent responsible).
Why take the MPRV vaccine?
The reasons why pediatricians and the Ministry of Health recommend the MMRV vaccine (and "MMR) are different; here are the main ones:
- Measles, mumps and rubella can cause serious complications, sometimes with a fatal outcome (eg encephalitis or meningitis) in both young people and adults.
- According to some estimates, before the mass vaccination against measles, measles caused, worldwide, about 2.6 million deaths each year; with the spread of MMR and MPRV vaccines, the number of annual deaths from measles it decreased to 122,000 (most of which concern, not surprisingly, areas of the developing world, where vaccination is not widespread).
- Thanks to the further spread of the MMR vaccine and the MMRV vaccine between 2000 and 2016, deaths from measles have dropped by 84%.
- For a woman, rubella contracted during pregnancy can have deleterious effects on the fetus, especially if the infection occurs during the first 10 weeks of gestation (the risk of consequences on the fetus is 90%); rubella in pregnancy, in fact, can cause spontaneous abortion, intrauterine death or congenital malformations of the future unborn child (congenital rubella syndrome).
The rubella vaccination campaign implemented in the past decades has proved to be a winning strategy in "reducing the number of abortions, intrauterine deaths or congenital malformations resulting from rubella in pregnancy. - In the US, the advent of mass vaccination against chickenpox has resulted in a 90% reduction in the number of infections.
- If in 1990 chickenpox caused the death of 8,900 individuals worldwide, in 2015 the deaths worldwide caused by the same infection decreased to 6,400; an even more effective vaccination campaign made this improvement possible.
When is MPRV vaccine not needed?
Individuals who have already been vaccinated and all those who have contracted measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox in the past do not need the MPRV vaccine.
tetra and ProQuad. capable of activating the immune system to produce specific antibodies.
In immunology, any foreign substance capable of triggering the immune system is called an antigen.
In the case of attenuated vaccines, the antigens are essentially parts of the infectious agent against which immunity is to be created, deprived, in the laboratory, of the ability to cause the related infection (NB: provided that the subject is a person healthy, without immune deficiencies).
Antibodies, on the other hand, are proteins that the immune system of the human organism produces whenever it comes into contact with an antigen and which serve to neutralize the latter in the immediate and also in the future, should a second exposure to the same antigen occur.
Thanks to the MPRV vaccine, therefore, antibodies against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox viruses are created, exploiting parts of the latter sufficient to stimulate the immune system, but not as sufficient to cause the associated infectious disease.
.A kind of syringe is used for the administration of the MPRV vaccine.
MPRV Vaccine Dosage
The administration of the MPRV vaccine is divided into two dosages; this means that the patient receives the pharmacological preparation on two separate occasions.
The administration of two doses of MPRV vaccine serves to optimize the effects of vaccination: a single administration, in fact, is not always sufficient to develop an "immunization against viruses.
According to the vaccination schedule in force in Italy, for children:
- The first dose is dated between the 12th and 15th month of life (usually it is performed at 14 months);
- The second dose is dated between 5 and 6 years of life.
However, it should be noted that, if for some reason there is a need for a "faster immunization, the second dose could be dated earlier than the above: the" minimum time interval that must separate the two doses of MPRV vaccine, in fact, is only 3 months (about 90 days).
As regards the MPRV vaccine in adults, the cycle of administration lasts at least 4 weeks: between the first and the second dose, in fact, at least 28 days must elapse.
Can the MPRV vaccine be administered together with other vaccines?
The MPRV vaccine can be administered together with other vaccines, as it does not interact with the latter.
(but only in predisposed adults; moreover, it more often affects women).Some of these disorders appear a few days after the vaccine; also in this case, these are temporary problems, lasting a few days.
In case of fever above 38 ° C, the intake of an antipyretic such as tachipirina is indicated.
Did you know that ...
Skin rash following MPRV vaccine is observed in 5% of vaccinated subjects.
Uncommon Adverse Effects of MPRV Vaccine
- Middle ear infection;
- Swollen lymph glands (glands in the neck, armpit or groin)
- Loss of appetite
- Nervousness and unusual crying;
- Insomnia;
- Redness, irritation and watery eyes (conjunctivitis);
- Bronchitis;
- Cough;
- Swelling of the parotid glands (near the ears)
- Diarrhea and vomiting.
These are disorders that affect 1% of vaccinated subjects.
Rare Adverse Effects of MPRV Vaccine
- Convulsions accompanied by fever;
- Allergic reaction to one of the components of the vaccine.
These are clinically relevant disorders, as they can have serious consequences; however, it must be remembered that these are very rare phenomena: according to statistics, they would affect no more than 0.1% of vaccinated subjects.
How to recognize allergic reactions to MPRV vaccine?
Allergic reactions to the MPRV vaccine occur within minutes of vaccination (this is why parents, after administration of the preparation, are asked to stay another 20-30 minutes at the vaccine center) and include symptoms and signs such as: hives, breathing difficulties, tachycardia and / or paleness.
After the MPRV vaccine, if you have any symptoms or signs of an allergic reaction, you should contact a doctor immediately or go to the nearest hospital.
Does MPRV Vaccine Cause Autism?
It has been proven unequivocally that the MPRV vaccine does not cause autism.
The misconception that the MPRV vaccine is a possible cause of autism is the result of a study conducted in 1998 by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and fully discredited by subsequent research.
For false information published in 1998, Wakefield was expelled from the British medical order, to which he belonged.
The MPRV vaccine is also contraindicated in pregnant women (who, however, can freely provide for vaccination after the happy event).
When to postpone MPRV vaccine?
MPRV vaccine is a practice to be postponed to another date in the presence of an infection that causes high fever.
On the other hand, there is no need to postpone it if the recipient candidate has a common cold (however, it is still a good idea to inform the doctor of the present situation).
Waiting Times for Pregnancy after MPRV Vaccine
After the MPRV vaccine, a fertile woman should wait at least a month before trying to become pregnant: one month, in fact, is the time it takes for the human immune system to create antibodies against rubella.
