MMR jab ‘vital’ to halt measles cases increase

10:35am Tuesday 27th June 2006

By Margaret Smith

MUMS and dads are being urged to make sure their children get the vital triple MMR vaccine after 11 cases of measles have been reported so far this year.

The increase is being linked to parents' fears that MMR jabs which help protect kids against measles, mumps and rubella could lead to autism and a subsequent drop in the take up of the vaccine. Last year there were six cases of measles in the county.

Dr Rachel Firth, of The New Surgery, Lindo Close, Chesham, thinks children should have the MMR vaccination.

She said: "It is vital for children to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella which are very contagious life-threatening diseases. The MMR vaccination has received some bad, unjustified press, which has unnecessarily worried concerned parents. It has been tried and tested, is completely safe and parents should be strongly encouraged to have their children vaccinated."

In the last three months of 2005, the latest period for which figures are available, 91.5 per cent of Wycombe parents allowed their children to be vaccinated. But the figure was considerably lower in south Bucks at 85.3 per cent.

The county's figures are above regional averages the South East take up is 83.7 per cent, London is 72.2 per cent and East Anglia is 84.2 per cent.

Dr Clare Strong, public health consultant for Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks PCT, said primary care trusts were pleased at the county's take-up rate.

She said: "One has to respect people's choice, but I do have to say that the advice is that MMR is a safe vaccine. We want to encourage as high an uptake as possible. The mainstream medical advice is to encourage mums and dads to bring their children in. We would like to see the Chilterns South Bucks figures improve."

The figures in the south might be linked to the fact that it was a more middle class area, she said.

She said measles could kill vulnerable children and parents should not be swayed by theories which were not true.

Parents of healthy children might feel their children could quite easily withstand a bout of measles and they were not prepared to avoid it by taking a risk on MMR and autism.

But their child might give it to another child who was not so strong. A vaccination rate of 90 to 95 per cent gives "herd immunity" to diseases and decreases the chances of infection.

Nationally there were 449 cases of measles from January to the end of May this year, more than those for the whole of 2003 when there were 438 cases.