Adverse events associated with MMR vaccines in Arak

Introduction: Epidemiologic studies of adverse events following vaccination are not easy and many countries have no reliable data. The aim of this study was to identify adverse events following MMR vaccination in Arak. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 310 vaccinated children (12m-6y) in vaccination centers of Arak, located in Markazi Province of Iran. Parents were educated to use a daily diary to record symptoms during a 43-day period following immunization. Data were analyzed with SPSS ver. 11.5. Results: In this study 54.5% of children (50.2% vaccinated with Razi vaccine and 62.1% with Indian vaccine) had at least one adverse event. Adverse events were: 40.9% fever , 17.9% pain, 9.6% redness at injection site, 14.5% rash, 6.7% arthralgia, 5% parotitis, 4.5% headache with vomiting , 1.6% febrile convulsions. Seven children were hospitalized for the severity of symptoms. Two cases of aseptic meningitis were detected among the children in the study group. Conclusion: The incidence of common and serious adverse events, following the injection of both strains of MMR vaccine, is relatively high in Iran.