I would like to know in which year was the MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella) vaccine introduced/available to children in India. For someone born in the year 1989 in India, I would like to know whether he/she was given this vaccine (if available back then) or not. Thanks in advance :)

Dr. Subhash TiwariGeneral Physician42yrs exp

92% (798 ratings)

Ask Free Question

In 1978 the immunization programme in india was renamed as expanded programme of immunization (epi) and then in 1985 became universal programme of immunization when measles vaccine was added in state schedule at 9 months of child age. Mmr is not a part of immunization schedule in state programme but in delhi it was included in 1999. Mmr vaccine is available since more than 3 decades and I am using it since then (tresivac from serum institute). A child in 1989 had the option of getting it depending upon awareness of the parents or the type of medical advice received at the given time. If the immunization file of the subject is available then there should be a mention of it in it. If the sex of the subject is female then rubella vaccine (r in mmr) should have been given by now to prevent any threat to the child from developmental anomalies during pregnancy, in case rubella attack occurs during that period. Anyway, even now if its the case of a female, there is no harm in immunizing a subject with a dose of mmr vaccine. Mmr was introduced in state immunization program of delhi in 1999 as a single dose administered between 15-18 months of age (mmr-i). States of punjab and kerala, and union territory of chandigarh with high routine immunization coverage are possible candidates to incorporate mmr vaccine in their schedule besides goa, puducherry, sikkim and delhi which currently have this vaccine in their state immunization schedules states with immunization coverage less than the above were advised catch up campaigns with measles vaccine. 

1 person found this helpful