Live Attenuated Measles-Mumps-Rubella and Varicella Vaccinations and Multiple Sclerosis Activity - Summary - MDSpire

Live Attenuated Measles-Mumps-Rubella and Varicella Vaccinations and Multiple Sclerosis Activity

  • By

  • René Carvajal

  • Marta Ponzano

  • Carmen Tur

  • Xavier Martínez-Gómez

  • Juliana Esperalba

  • Álvaro Cobo-Calvo

  • Blanca Borras-Bemejo

  • Francesca Bovis

  • Helena Ariño

  • Georgina Arrambide

  • Luca Bollo

  • Joaquín Castilló

  • Manuel Comabella

  • Ingrid Galán

  • Daniel Hernández-Soria

  • Luciana Midaglia

  • Neus Mongay-Ochoa

  • Agustín Pappolla

  • José Alejandro Ramírez

  • José Ángel Rodrigo-Pendás

  • Breogán Rodríguez-Acevedo

  • Jordi Río

  • Ángela Vidal-Jordana

  • Andreu Vilaseca

  • Ana Zabalza

  • Jaume Sastre-Garriga

  • Maria Pia Sormani

  • Xavier Montalban

  • Mar Tintoré

  • Susana Otero-Romero

  • May 20, 2026

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To assess the risk of relapse following live attenuated MMR or varicella vaccination in people with MS using propensity score–based inverse probability weighting, which aims to reduce bias in treatment effect estimation.

Key Findings:
  • No significant increase in relapse rates was observed in vaccinated individuals compared to unvaccinated controls, suggesting safety in vaccination.
  • Vaccination did not trigger acute inflammatory disease activity in the MS cohort, which may alleviate concerns among patients.
  • The study supports current vaccination guidelines for individuals with MS, potentially reducing vaccine hesitancy.
Interpretation:

Live attenuated MMR and varicella vaccines appear to be safe for individuals with MS, not increasing the risk of relapse, which may alleviate vaccine hesitancy and support public health vaccination strategies.

Limitations:
  • The study is retrospective and relies on observational data, which may introduce biases.
  • Potential confounding factors may not be fully accounted for despite matching, which could influence the validity of the findings.
Conclusion:

The findings support the safety of MMR and varicella vaccinations in MS patients, reinforcing the importance of vaccination before initiating immunosuppressive therapies, especially in light of the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Original Source(s)

Live Attenuated Measles-Mumps-Rubella and Varicella Vaccinations and Multiple Sclerosis Activity

  • by René Carvajal, Marta Ponzano, Carmen Tur, Xavier Martínez-Gómez, Juliana Esperalba, Álvaro Cobo-Calvo, Blanca Borras-Bemejo, Francesca Bovis, Helena Ariño, Georgina Arrambide, Luca Bollo, Joaquín Castilló, Manuel Comabella, Ingrid Galán, Daniel Hernández-Soria, Luciana Midaglia, Neus Mongay-Ochoa, Agustín Pappolla, José Alejandro Ramírez, José Ángel Rodrigo-Pendás, Breogán Rodríguez-Acevedo, Jordi Río, Ángela Vidal-Jordana, Andreu Vilaseca, Ana Zabalza, Jaume Sastre-Garriga, Maria Pia Sormani, Xavier Montalban, Mar Tintoré, Susana Otero-Romero

  • May 20, 2026

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