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Paul
Vallely: Parents' fears over the MMR jab can only be alleviated by better
science
Charles Kennedy, the Liberal
Democrat leader, called on Tony Blair yesterday to end the speculation over
whether his baby, Leo, had received the MMR vaccination.
He spoke out after the Prime Minister issued a
strongly worded condemnation of media intrusion into his private family
affairs, but dropped a clear hint that 19-month-old Leo had been given the
controversial combined jab against measles, mumps and rubella. Mr Kennedy told
BBC Radio 5 Live: "Probably they have allowed this story to get slightly
out of control by the way they have handled it over the last four days."
As Downing Street insisted that Tony and Cherie
Blair would say no more on the issue, the Tory who confronted the Prime
Minister in the Commons on the subject renewed her demand for him to come
clean. Julie Kirkbride, MP for Bromsgrove, has refused to vaccinate her
14-month-old son. She said: "Tony Blair is masquerading behind a mask of
privacy. The public want to see whether he practises what he preaches."
But the former Health Secretary, Frank Dobson,
said: "They should keep their noses out of this. Every patient has a right
to total confidentiality of their medical records."
Ministers have been under pressure over MMR – which
the Government is a keen advocate of – amid fears that the triple vaccination
is linked to autism and a bowel disease. They have repeatedly sidestepped
challenges on the subject, insisting the press should respect their families'
privacy.
Mr Blair was spurred in to drafting an unprecedented
personal statement on Saturday evening after learning that two newspapers were
investigating rumours that a member of Mrs Blair's family was autistic. The
clear implication was the couple might not have given Leo the MMR vaccine as a
result.
The Prime Minister attacked the "horrible and
unjustified" reporting of the controversy, and added: "The suggestion
that the Government is advising parents to have the MMR jab whilst we are
deliberately refraining from giving our child the treatment because we know it
is dangerous, is offensive beyond belief."
Mr Blair's statement added: "For the record,
Cherie and I both entirely support the advice, as we have consistently said
throughout. It is not true that we believe the MMR vaccine to be dangerous or
believe that it is better to have separate injections, or believe that it is
linked to autism."
He said they have never commented on the
"medical health or treatment" of their children as that could lead
the way to questions on a host of subjects from under-age sex to teenage
drinking.
Jackie Fletcher, founder of the anti-MMR pressure
group Jabs, said yesterday: "He has put his full weight behind the MMR
programme, we just want to know whether he [Leo] has had that or not.
"We do not blame the Government but the medical
advisers to the Department of Health. We don't want to blame the Government, we
just want to know the truth."
Only the Health minister, Yvette Cooper, who has
two children, has confirmed that they received the triple vaccine.
The Labour backbencher Ian Gibson has called on the
Prime Minister to show some leadership on MMR to help "people who are
confused about the issue take a decision which is very important for their
children".
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INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.