Mumps Vaccine

About Mumps Vaccine

Maurice Hilleman developed the mumps vaccine, licensed in 1967. Hilleman cultured the virus from his own daughter Jeryl Lynn when she had mumps at age 5. The Jeryl Lynn strain is still used in mumps vaccines today. The vaccine is typically administered as part of the MMR combination. Before the vaccine, mumps was a common childhood disease that could cause deafness, meningitis, and, rarely, reduced fertility. Mumps outbreaks have occurred in recent years among college students, partly due to waning immunity. Some health authorities have used an additional MMR dose during outbreaks. Two doses of the mumps vaccine are highly effective, though protection is lower than for measles. Hilleman developed over 40 vaccines during his career at Merck, more than any other scientist.