Britain's Blair takes jabs over kid's shots

12/24/01

BY POLLY STEWART
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON -- Leo Blair doesn't know he's in the middle of a political tussle, but his dad the prime minister is seething at opposition lawmakers and media he accuses of trying to invade the 19-month-old's privacy.

Tony Blair lashed out over the weekend at critics demanding to know if his youngest son has received a childhood immunization that some fear may be linked to autism. The Blairs have always tried to protect the privacy of their four children.

Blair refused to answer on the grounds it infringed his son's privacy as the issue rapidly dominated national news headlines. Several national newspapers sharply criticized Blair for not answering the question.

But the prime minister did say he and his wife, Cherie, believe the advice given to the government -- that there is "overwhelming" evidence that the combined measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine is safe. Britain's national health system recommends all children get the shot.

The vaccine is generally given to children at around age 2. At least one study on the vaccine has linked it with an increase in the incidence of autism, a severe neurological disorder.

Children with autism generally have difficulty communicating, may become obsessed with repetitive motions, such as head rolling, and often are intolerant of changes in their environment. They also may have learning difficulties.

In an April study, the U.S. Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that while "the evidence favors rejection" of a connection to autism, it "does not exclude the possibility that MMR vaccine could in rare cases contribute" to autism or related disorders in a small number of children.

In a statement, Blair said: "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."

Blair said parents, including himself and his wife, did not have to rely on the advice of the government's chief medical officer alone about the vaccine but could draw on the "overwhelming advice from virtually every reputable independent source," including the World Health Organization and Britain's Royal College of Pediatricians.

"They can rely also on the again overwhelming research that has found the alleged link between autism and MMR to be unfounded," he said.

Opposition Conservative lawmaker Julie Kirkbride, who challenged Blair in Parliament over the issue, told the BBC: "We are politicians and we tell the public what to do, and I think the public have a right to know whether we apply those same standards in our own lives."

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