Call to Make MMR Compulsory

[Guest toonlass]

By Graham Satchell

BBC News 

 

 

 

Sir Sandy Macara: 'I don't mind if people call this draconian'

A former chairman of the British Medical Association is calling for the MMR jab to be made compulsory.

 

Public health expert Sir Sandy Macara believes children should not be able to go to school unless they have first been vaccinated.

 

Sir Sandy has submitted a motion for debate at the annual BMA conference later this month.

 

Uptake of the MMR vaccine fell sharply after controversial research wrongly linked it to a raised risk of autism.

 

One in four children under five has not had both MMR injections, which are needed to give full protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

 

As a result there have been measles outbreaks across the country, and experts at the Health Protection Agency now fear a measles epidemic is likely.

 

Sir Sandy said: "Our attempts to persuade people have failed.

 

 

 

"The suggestion is that we ought to consider making a link which in effect would make it compulsory for children to be immunised if they are to receive the benefit of a free education from the state."

 

Linking vaccinations to school admission is controversial but common in other countries.

 

It happens in the US, most of Australia, Spain and Greece.

 

Persuasion

 

But in the UK vaccination programmes have relied on persuading and educating parents that immunisation is not only beneficial to their children but to society as a whole.

 

The BBC has learned, however, through a freedom of information request that the strategic health authority in London asked the government if it could introduce compulsory vaccinations.

 

Specifically the SHA asked about the "feasibility of requiring an immunisation certificate for measles before children go to school."

 

In documents seen by the BBC, the Department of Health acknowledges that immunisation rates in London are consistently lower than the rest of the country.

 

But officials said: "Our strategy is to maintain a voluntary immunisation system and invest efforts in educating parents about the benefits of vaccination and dispelling 'myths' about vaccine safety."

 

Serious consequences

 

Rachel Whittle knows the consequences of not vaccinating her children.

 

 

 

Lola May was hospitalised with measles

Her daughter Lola May was in hospital for five weeks and has been left partially deaf after getting measles.

 

"In hindsight I wish that I'd had my children vaccinated," she said.

 

"The guilt is something that I now have to live with.

 

"But I didn't choose to vaccinate, I urge parents to vaccinate and make that decision.

 

"But I don't however agree with it being compulsory."

 

At a mother and toddler group in Manchester parents were equally unsure about making vaccinations compulsory.

 

"I don't think you'd have to go as far as legal intervention," said one mother.

 

"All that would do is make people angry and saying don't impose such sanctions really."

 

"I don't think it should be compulsory," said another.

 

 

  I think this would be handing a gift to the anti-vaccine lobby

 

Professor Adam Finn

"I've had my daughter done but I think it's down to the parent.

 

"If the parents don't want their children to have the injection I don't think they should have to."

 

Media blame

 

Professor Adam Finn, a vaccine expert in Bristol, said the media was largely to blame for scaremongering over the MMR jab.

 

But, although he sympathises with Sir Sandy's concerns about the possibility of a measles epidemic, Professor Finn believes compulsory vaccination would be counter-productive.

 

"There is a real risk we would end up with less MMR immunisation not more," he said.

 

"I think this would be handing a gift to the anti-vaccine lobby, because they would say 'look they can't persuade you it is right, so they are going to have to force you'."

 

But as fears of a measles epidemic grow, serious questions are now being asked as to whether persuasion on its own is enough.

 

 

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Long overdue imo. Parent's who fail to immunise their children do not recognise the risk that they are putting their own children at. Measles kills, and the flawed and discredited study from Andrew Wakeman has scared Daily Mail reading parents into still believing that the MMR is unsafe. Compulsary immunisation is the only way to guarantee herd immunity from these diseases and wipe them out.

[Mowen]

Too many people don't know that MMR has nothing to do with autism.

 

Brooker did a decent bit on it in Newswipe when he was looking at how the media can spread a story.

[BlueStar]

Melanie Phillips scaremongering week in, week out in the Mail with as much knowledge of the subject as anything else she writes about (ie fuck all) had a fair bit to do with it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/nov/02/health.science

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

One scientist (who was proved to be talking bollocks) and the media caused all this MMR hysteria. The media are a disgrace. They hyped up the Swine Flu outbreak in the same way. They should be ashamed of themselves. There seem to be a lot of idiots in the world today ready to believe anything and dismiss all scientific evidence disproving their held belief. Homoeopathy, Alternative medicine (Alternative medicine when scientifically proved to work ceases to be Alternative medicine and becomes known as medicine), Religion, etc.

[madras]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

[Keefaz]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

[madras]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

both the girls were laid low a bit after their MMR's. just seems like a lot to give one so young all at once. some docs have voiced their concerns and some countries do them singley.

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

[Keefaz]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

both the girls were laid low a bit after their MMR's. just seems like a lot to give one so young all at once. some docs have voiced their concerns and some countries do them singley.

 

I can see that, but is it not best just to 'get it out of the way'?

 

Also, FWIW, I think the journalists responsible for scaremongering in regards to MMR should be pelted with rusty old taps. Morons.

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

both the girls were laid low a bit after their MMR's. just seems like a lot to give one so young all at once. some docs have voiced their concerns and some countries do them singley.

 

I can see that, but is it not best just to 'get it out of the way'?

 

Also, FWIW, I think the journalists responsible for scaremongering in regards to MMR should be pelted with rusty old taps. Morons.

 

Multi-vaccines are a massive overload on young immune systems it has been proved time and time again. I refused it and Parky Jnr has had separate vaccinations and not all of them. In Germany they thankfully give you many choices on how to go about it.

[Guest toonlass]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

[Keefaz]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Wahey!

[Guest toonlass]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

[Guest toonlass]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

 

You asked.

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

 

You asked.

 

Isn't 3 a bit selfish considering the state of the planet and overpopulation?

[Guest toonlass]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

 

You asked.

 

Isn't 3 a bit selfish considering the state of the planet and overpopulation?

 

If you say so. 

[Parky]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

 

You asked.

 

Isn't 3 a bit selfish considering the state of the planet and overpopulation?

 

If you say so. 

 

The Co2 in your house must be off the scale.

[Keefaz]

[Stu]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

For why?

 

It's safer.

 

 

 

Based on what?

 

Primarily on what my doctor here told me. And that is why they give you a choice in Germany. I'm sorry do you have children?

 

Yes, I have 3. All girls, all given the MMR.

 

Get a badge made up.

 

You asked.

 

Isn't 3 a bit selfish considering the state of the planet and overpopulation?

 

If you say so. 

 

The Co2 in your house must be off the scale.

 

Probably similar to the levels of methane in your gaff...

[Chrissy Bee]

i still think they should be single vaccines mind.

 

Single vaccines reduce protection. It takes much longer to give the whole schedule of three single vaccines (increasing the time spent unvaccinated and at risk) and compliance drops because you're asking people to come back so many times - the vaccination schedule is already very busy as it is.

 

There is no evidence that the triple jab has significant risks (short term non-infective fevers, pain at injection site and other minor effects and very rarely allergic reactions, convulsions, etc.), study after study has found absolutely no risk of autism, Crohn's or whatever you care to mention compared to unvaccinated children.

 

There is no evidence that single jabs are safer (they have had less studies done on them altogether) and no reason to believe they would be - the Japanese got rid of MMR and replaced it with single shots in the 90s and have experienced no magical improvements in the health of children vaccinated afterwards. There is no evidence of children's immune systems being overloaded (whatever that actually means).

 

There is evidence that reduced adherence to the vaccination schedule reduces immunity, herd immunity and increases infections (causing not just short term sickness but in some cases permanent damage to the brain and other organs and occasionally death).

[Keefaz]

Christ, I hate it when someone informed involves himself in debates.

[Mowen]

Christ, I hate it when someone informed involves himself in debates.

 

It just ruins it for the rest of us. What a tosser.

[Guest toonlass]

Christ, I hate it when someone informed involves himself in debates.