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Since the publication of Professor Wakefield's work on the association between MMR vaccine, Autism and Crohn's disease was published, there has been considerable concern expressed by parents. This has been magnified by the withdrawal of the single measles vaccine.

 

While I, as a doctor and a parent, am confident of the safety of MMR, I sympathise with those who are not. Currently, between 85% & 90% of children receive the MMR, of whom 5% to 7% will not achieve immunity. That means 15 to 17% of children may not be immune: the experts estimate that, if 15% of the population are not immune, there is scope for epidemics of these diseases (hence the pre-school booster, to catch those not already vaccinated and to boost the immunity of those who have been). Those parents remaining unconvinced of the safety of MMR may opt for nothing at all.

 

I offer the vaccines singly to overcome this problem.

 

Concerns about single vaccines, as opposed to single MMR, are:

 

1)
Immunity may be delayed because the vaccines are given individually, rather than all at once: this is correct, but those who choose to have the vaccines separately tend to be aware of this risk and still find their concerns, especially regarding autism, override it. I think the risks, though present, are small, rising with increased length of interval.
2)
MMR all at once "overloads the immune system": We receive diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, haemophilus influenzae (HiB), and meningitis C vaccines together, 3 times, under the age of six months, almost always without adverse effects.
3)
The single vaccines do not contain strains likely to produce immunity in this country: I only use strains of the measles (Edmondson-Zagreb or Schwarz) and mumps (Jeryl-Lynn) used in the MMR vaccine.
4)
The "Cold Chain" is compromised: this refers to the appropriate transportation and storage of the vaccines according to the manufacturers' requirements. Rest assured they are adhered to, both by those who import and transport the vaccines, and by me.
5)
The vaccines do not have a product licence for the UK: this is correct, but they can be imported if the physician thinks they are “clinically indicated”. If you consider the single vaccine better for your child than MMR, then they are “clinically indicated”.

 

PLEASE FULLY DISCUSS WITH YOUR GP OR YOUR HEALTH VISITOR ANY CONCERNS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT MMR. THEY MAY ALSO BE ABLE TO REASSURE YOU.

 

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE CAN BE SERIOUS DELAYS IN OBTAINING THE MUMPS VACCINE. WE ARE NOW ADVISING PARENTS THAT ALTHOUGH WE CAN GUARANTEE MEASLES AND RUBELLA, WE HAD SOME PROBLEMS A FEW YEARS AGO OBTAINING THE MUMPS VACCINE, BUT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEMS. SHOULD SIFFICULTIES ARISE, WE WILL INFORM YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
 
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Dr Christopher Parry - Tel: 01206 560640 - email: parryc0@btconnect.com
27 Oaks Drive, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3QZ