Health chief to hear jab fears

Kate Foster
kfoster@scotsman.com

THE doctor who first raised concerns about the safety of the MMR vaccine will give details of his controversial research to the Department of Health next week.

Dr Andrew Wakefield, whose research into the jab has caused panic after he claimed there was a link between the injection and autism and bowel conditions, said yesterday he was delighted that the DoH is prepared to work with him.

The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, wrote to the doctor to ask for details of the research for independent analysis.

He was responding to an e-mail from Dr Wakefield, which claimed nine new studies would emerge over the next 18 months howing a connection between the jabs and the conditions.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The chief medical officer wrote to Dr Wakefield with a wide range of questions about the methods used in his research which experts have concerns about."

She added: "This includes classification of his earlier statement to the media that some of the children had received the single measles vaccine.

"We have also asked Dr Wakefield to make available his data and samples for independent scientific testing."

Yesterday, a spokesman for Visceral, a charity dedicated to raising funds to investigate possible links between childhood vaccines and autism and the causes of inflammatory bowel disease, whose trustees include Dr Wakefield, said the doctor "relished" the opportunity to respond to the CMO’s letter when he returns to the UK from the United States next week.

The spokesman said: "The CMO’s response asks a great many questions but does not address any of the issues Dr Wakefield had raised and sidesteps the question of a meeting.

"Nonetheless, Dr Wakefield is delighted that, at last, the Department of Health is prepared to work with him."

He added: "The CMO’s letter asks Dr Wakefield’s permission to post the letter on the department’s web site, to which Dr Wakefield is happy to agree. His offer of a meeting still stands."

The exchange follows declining MMR uptake rates in parts of the country as parents either refuse to have their children vaccinated or opt for single jabs.

There have also been reports of measles outbreaks in some areas.

Shortages, and the high cost of paying around £200 privately for the single vaccines, mean that some parents are not having their children immunised at all.