[Vaccination offers good protection against measles, mumps and rubella. To refuse vaccination would seriously threaten our good immunity status].

Since vaccination against measles, rubella and mumps (MMR) was introduced in Sweden in 1982 for children at 1.5 and 12 years of age these diseases have almost completely disappeared. Severe side effects have been rare. Threats against the continued protection from these diseases include a lessening inclination on the part of parents to vaccinate their children, a weakening of the vaccine-induced immunological response with time, and possibly also genetic changes in strains of circulating wild type virus. By law physicians are bound to report diagnosed cases as well as new or severe side effects. Continuous laboratory analysis of antibodies and circulating viruses is also necessary.