http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=139033
Top doctor wants more MMR tests to satisfy parents
By Lorna Duckworth Social Affairs Correspondent
22 February 2002
The senior author of the study that triggered fears
of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism will break his silence today by
calling for urgent research to "resolve the genuine concerns of
parents".
In a letter published in The Lancet,
Professor John Walker-Smith says large population studies make it clear that
"the MMR vaccine is safe in most children". But these studies do not
rule out the possibility that, in a "very small group" of children,
there could be a link between the jab and bowel and behavioural disorders.
To resolve the controversy, and to end the
"heartache" suffered by parents, biological studies must be carried
out to determine what causes the bowel and behavioural problems, he says.
Professor Walker-Smith, of the Wellcome Trust
Centre for the History of Medicine, in London, says he "continues to
support the MMR vaccine" and reveals that three of his grandsons have
received the jab. Nevertheless, his letter could serve to deepen the dispute.
Before retiring from London's Royal Free Hospital
in 2000, he supervised the work of Dr Andrew Wakefield and was the senior
clinical investigator behind the 1998 study in The Lancet that provoked
the scare.
The research team, led by Professor Walker-Smith
and Dr Wakefield, identified a "highly selected group" of 12 children
with an unusual bowel disorder and developmental problems but it was unable to
prove a link with the MMR vaccine.
In today's letter, Professor Walker-Smith says that
the latest studies have provided evidence that the measles virus, rather than
the MMR vaccine, may have a part to play in developmental problems. He writes:
"There is now a case to be answered. This study finding needs urgent
attention and elaboration of its importance."
Professor Walker-Smith has remained silent about
the MMR controversy since 1998. But in his letter today, he says he is speaking
out because the debate has gone on for "far too long and is causing so
much heartache in parents".
Referring to the large number of studies that have
found no evidence of a link between MMR and autism, he says: "It seems
clear to me that what epidemiology has shown is that the MMR vaccine is safe in
most children."
But, having seen the "grave concern" of
parents who have autistic children, he says, "further urgent research is
needed to resolve the genuine concerns of parents who associate MMR with the
onset of autism and to try to identify whether there are factors that may place
a very small but important group of children at risk of such a disorder".
An editorial in the same journal says all the
epidemiological evidence shows MMR is safe but swift action is needed to
restore public confidence if deaths from measles, mumps and rubella are to be
prevented.
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More theatres, equipment, beds, nurses
...
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