Your doctor may choose to give the second dose when the child is 11 or 12 years old. This vaccine protects against three diseases. Measles can cause high fever, rash and cough. It can lead to ear infection, pneumonia, seizures and brain damage. It is one of the leading causes of death in children.
Mumps causes fever, headache and swollen glands under the jaw.
It may lead to hearing loss, meningitis or, in boys, painful, swollen testicles. It may cause arthritis. In pregnant women, this disease may cause very serious birth defects or the woman may lose her baby. The rash and fever occur one or two weeks after the MMR vaccine is given. Problems after the second dose are much less common.