lotsofpumpkins Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 My 16-month-old had his MMR vaccine 11 days ago. 2 days ago he started running a fever. I read that this is a normal reaction, but I want to know how long it is expected to last. Thursday he slept a LOT, which made me wonder if something was wrong with him, and then Friday he started with a low-grade fever which stayed about the same all day. Today is Saturday and he's up to 102 this afternoon. I read that although this is essentially a mild case of measles, it is not contagious. How is that? I know they weaken the virus, but if it's enough to make my child sick, how is it not spreadable to others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) Peds nurse here, and honestly I would say he's contracted a virus that's totally unrelated to the vaccine. Usually MMR vaccine fevers are low grade, starting around day 5 after the vaccine, lasting maybe 48 hours and generally with no other accompanying symptoms. Some children occasionally develop a mild rash, similar to measles. The more days out you are from the vaccine (past about 9 days), the less chance the causitive factor is the vaccine. The opposite is also true. A fever on, say, the third day after the vaccine isn't generally from the MMR shot. A child can very rarely develop a fever as late as 11 days after the vaccine, but again...that's rare. I'd just treat him for his symptoms at this point. Ibuprofen for the fever and rest if that's what he wants. If the fever is still present after 72 hours without trending downward, see your pediatrician to rule out a bacterial infection. Edited to say that the reason the disease won't spread is because the viruses are not able to replicate in your child's body the way they would if the disease was caught naturally...that component of the virus has been removed. Therefore, there isn't enough of it to allow for virus shedding and it is not communicable. Edited March 17, 2012 by DianeW88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Edited to say that the reason the disease won't spread is because the viruses are not able to replicate in your child's body the way they would if the disease was caught naturally...that component of the virus has been removed. Therefore, there isn't enough of it to allow for virus shedding and it is not communicable. I believe the virus can be spread to individuals with a compromised immune system. My niece had a heart transplant as an infant. She is not supposed to have contact with anyone who has recently had an MMR vaccine for this reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I believe the virus can be spread to individuals with a compromised immune system. My niece had a heart transplant as an infant. She is not supposed to have contact with anyone who has recently had an MMR vaccine for this reason. Yep, that would be an extenuating circumstance. It would still be very unlikely that she would catch it. The vaccine only replicates something like twenty times in your body from the shot, but many thousands of times from the illness. However, it isn't a chance I'd want to take if I didn't have a fully functioning immune system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted March 18, 2012 Author Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thanks for the info! Ds does not have any other symptoms by the way. I guess we'll just see how he does the next day or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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