Measles back with a vengeance

The Government warned this month that thousands of children returning to school may be at risk from a measles outbreak. This risk has been linked to concerns about the MMR vaccine and a fall in the number of children being vaccinated. MMR vaccinations have previously been linked to autism and bowel disorders.

WHO recommends 90% of children need to be immunised for a vaccination programme to be effective. Experts believe figures in London are well below at 70%.

Jackie Fletcher, believes her son was affected by the MMR jab. She claims parents should be given the choice of a single measles vaccine, instead of the combined MMR. 1800 children have been damaged by MMR in 12 years, compared to 27 children in 20 years with the use of a single measles vaccine.

Meanwhile, experts believe Meningitis C has been almost eradicated by a successful vaccination programme.

Tuesday, 30 January 2001