Elsevier

Vaccine

Volume 33, Issue 1, 1 January 2015, Pages 237-245
Vaccine

Measles–mumps–rubella vaccination and respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospital contact

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.110Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • MMR vaccination is given to protect against measles, mumps and rubella.

  • RSV is an important cause of acute lower respiratory infections in young children.

  • MMR vaccination was associated with 22% lower rate of RSV hospital contacts.

  • MMR vaccination may reduce the rate or severity of RSV infection.

Abstract

Background

The live measles vaccine has been associated with lower non-measles mortality and admissions in low-income countries. The live measles–mumps–rubella vaccine has also been associated with lower rate of admissions with any type of infection in Danish children; the association was strongest for admissions with lower respiratory infections.

Objective

To examine whether measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination was associated with reduced rate of hospital contact related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in a high-income country.

Methods

Nationwide cohort study of laboratory-confirmed RSV hospital contacts at age 14–23 months in all children born in Denmark 1997–2002 who had already received the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (acellular), polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-IPV-Hib) at the recommended ages of 3, 5, and 12 months.

Results

The study included 888 RSV hospital contacts in 128,588 person years of follow up (rate 6.8/1000 person years). Having MMR as the most recent vaccine was associated with a reduced rate of RSV hospital contacts compared with having DTaP-IPV-Hib as the most recent vaccine (Incidence rate ratio (IRR), 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63–0.89). After adjustment for potential confounders including exact age in days the IRR was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.66–0.93). The adjusted IRR was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.60–0.92) in males and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.66–1.06) in females (P Interaction, 0.42). There was no association in the first month after MMR vaccination (adjusted IRR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.76–1.24) but the adjusted IRR was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.58–0.85) from one month after MMR vaccination.

Conclusions

MMR vaccination was associated with reduced rate of hospital contacts related to laboratory-confirmed RSV infection. Further research on the association between MMR vaccination and other unrelated pathogens are warranted.

Abbreviations

CI
Confidence interval
DTaP-IPV-Hib
Inactivated vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (acellular), polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b
GP
general practitioner
IRR
incidence rate ratio
MMR
Live vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella
OPV
Oral polio vaccine
RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus

Keywords

Heterologous immunity
Immunization
Non-specific effects
Non-targeted effects
Measles–mumps–rubella vaccination
Respiratory syncytial virus

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