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These are common childhood illnesses all over the world. But measles, mumps and rubella are now rare in the United States, because children are usually vaccinated against these diseases. More people catch these diseases in places where fewer people have been vaccinated.

About 30 million people in the world catch measles each year.¹ But only a few people get measles in countries where children are routinely vaccinated.

• In the United States, more than 9 out of 10 children used to get measles by the time they were 15 years old. But measles almost disappeared once children started to be vaccinated against the disease in 1963.²
• In countries where most people are vaccinated against measles, only 10 or fewer people in every 100,000 get measles.^{3 4 5}

Most people used to get mumps as children, before vaccination against the disease started. But now there is no mumps at all in some countries because of vaccination.

• In England, for example, almost 9 out of 10 people had mumps by age 10 before vaccines were given.⁶ After the introduction of the combined measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (the MMR vaccine), mumps became much rarer.
• In some countries, such as Finland, nobody gets mumps any more because people have been vaccinated against it.⁷

People who get mumps now in the United States are usually older. That's because they are less likely to have been vaccinated against the illness.

Before vaccinations began, 4 out of 5 people were infected with rubella during childhood.⁸ Most people got rubella when they were 5 to 10 years old.⁹ Now rubella is rare in countries where children have the MMR vaccine.

• The number of cases of rubella has fallen to the lowest ever in the United States. Only nine people had the disease in 2004.¹⁰
• More than 100,000 people had rubella in Romania in 2003. Almost 50 children were born with disabilities caused by congenital rubella syndrome. Romania did not give MMR vaccination to all children at that time.¹¹ (Congenital rubella syndrome happens when a mother is infected with rubella during pregnancy and her baby is born with serious birth defects.)

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.