What's the problem with having the vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella separately

asks admason:
A. A survey for the Today programme on Radio 4 recently demonstrated that there is still widespread alarm about the triple (MMR) vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella. Two-thirds of those questioned believe that parents should have the choice of three single vaccines for their children, if that is their choice.

This follows the case of Lincolnshire GP Peter Mansfield, who was called before the General Medical Council for offering separate vaccines to parents. Dr Mansfield could face disciplinary action because of this, but he says he believes that parents had the right to choose.

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Q. Why are the single vaccines causing such a fuss
A. Single vaccines don't contain the same ingredients as the triple vaccinations. The single mumps vaccine may be one of two strains from the continent: one strain (Urabe) was withdrawn from early versions of MMR because of a possible link with aseptic meningitis; the other (Rubini) is not licensed in the UK because it's only effective for 12% of children.

Some experts also argue that during the intervals between the separate vaccines, a child is at risk of catching the illnesses it hasn't been vaccinated with, and that many parents won't bother returning for the second or third jab.

The medical establishment points out that MMR is much more widely used than the single vaccines and has consequently been more intensively studied.

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Q. But don't these studies also connect the MMR with autism, Crohn's disease and other problems
A. Some do, some don't. Government experts claim that the MMR jab is generally given at the age of two, which is about the same age as symptoms of autism emerge and that it's just a coincidence. Many parents claim that their children's symptoms started immediately after the injection was given.

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Anti-MMR experts believe that giving a young child three vaccines at once can overload their developing immune system, and that and that there haven't been adequate safety trial for MMR.

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Q. So, if they can't get single vaccines, are parents choosing not to immunise their children
A. Yes. Confidence in MMR is falling and the levels of immunised children have dropped sharply in some areas. And last week, a private clinic in Eltham revealed that it had tested 50 children who had been given the triple vaccine and found that half of them had little or no immunity to mumps and measles. However, the Department of Health insists that it's still the safest way to protect children.

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Q. Where can I find out more
Two good sources of information are the JABS and the DoH websites.

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Do you have something to say about MMR and single jabs Post it here

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By Sheena Miller