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MMR: Holyrood calls for single vaccines
http://www.sundayherald.com/13152
Single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella
should be made available in Scotland, say the majority of members of the
Scottish parliament's influential health committee, who believe they would
prevent an epidemic of disease.
A report into claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism will be
discussed by the committee in two weeks' time. But the Sunday Herald has
learned that nearly all the members either believe single vaccines should
be made available, or that the Scottish Executive should at least consider
the proposal.
In calling for the single vaccines to be made available, the politicians
are responding to government warnings of a measles epidemic after British
parents have rejected the combined vaccine in droves over fears that it can
cause autism. If the health committee takes a decision in two weeks that
the single vaccine should be made available, the Scottish Executive will be
under severe pressure. It was the health committee which decided that the
Sutherland report on care of the elderly should be implemented in full, and
it takes part of the credit for the U-turn on the subject by the Executive.
Dr Liam Fox, shadow health minister in England, has already called for
parents to be given a choice and his plea was echoed in the Scottish
parliament last week by many politicians including Tory education spokesman
Brian Montieth. Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon, who
is reporter to the health committee on the issue of autism and the MMR
vaccine, has refused to publicly state her view ahead of her report but is
believed to be in favour of single vaccines .
Margaret Smith MSP, convener of the health committee, does not want to
pre-empt the report on the MMR vaccine but believes politicians must be
practical about the fear of a measles outbreak. She said: "We have to
be pragmatic. At the end of the day I will never be able to say that any
vaccine is safe. However, we as politicians are responsible for effective
delivery of service.
"What this is throwing up is that people are not getting their
children vaccinated and we risk an outbreak of measles. We have to be
responsible to make sure that the delivery offers parental choice and must
ask whether that means having single vaccines at least available."
Margaret Smith said that the unusually high participation of MSPs on the
debate on autism last week showed that politicians are concerned about the
issue.
Another key member of the committee who is now taking a pragmatic approach
to the problem is Labour MSP and former GP Dr Richard Simpson. He now
believes a single vaccine should be considered for parents who would not
otherwise vaccinate their children. He said that if the government was
prepared to introduce disposable surgical instruments because of the
theoretical risk of CJD, it should be willing to consider making single
vaccines available for parents who do not trust the triple jab.
"I think reintroducing single vaccines is an option that cannot be
ruled out," he said. "If it is clear that some people are not
going to be convinced by anything because of the trauma they have been
through, I think we have to find some way to protect their children."
Both SNP members of the health committee believe single vaccines should be
offered. Nicola Sturgeon, shadow health spokeswoman, said: "I don't
think the latest study is going to reassure parents who are worried about
the possibility of a link. I think it is time for the Executive to look at
the feasibility of making single vaccines available. Whatever the
scientific evidence is saying, there are real concerns."
The Sunday Herald can also reveal that a consultant paediatrician working
in the Highlands and Islands has also called for single vaccines to be made
available to parents who are scared to have their children inoculated with
the MMR jab. Dr Teresa McArdle, a consultant paediatrician working in the
Highlands, warned of pockets where immunisation is at dangerously low
levels.
"I am aware that there are areas in the Highlands where immunisation
is really quite poor," she said. "People are very reassuring that
there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism but parents have access
to a huge range of information and I feel that they should have a choice because
immunisation against measles is so important. If we cannot persuade them to
have the MMR, there should be the option to have the vaccine singly."
The levels of immunisation in the Highlands and islands are the lowest in
Scotland. Figures issued by the Scottish Executive show that in March of
last year the average immunisation rate for Scotland was 92.9% while in the
Highlands the figure was 86.8%. In the Western Isles it was 86.4%.
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