3- 5 years down the road but they already know it is ‘safe
and effective’.
© 2000 Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for
Immunization Information (NNii).
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March 21, 2001
“New Alternative to Measles Jab”
Daily Mail (London) (www.dmgt.co.uk) (03/20/01) P. 48; Halle,
Martyn
Parents who—despite published reports dispelling the notion—still
fear that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism and bowel disease, may soon have
a new alternative in providing their children with protection against
measles. Scientists in Australia have
developed a plant vaccine against the disease that is said to be safe,
effective, and capable of being fed to children in a specially prepared baby
food. Researchers used advanced genetic
engineering techniques to grow dozens of tobacco plants bearing a protein taken
from the measles virus that, when consumed, triggers an immune system response
that wards off measles organisms.
Professor Steve Wesselingh, an infectious disease consultant at Alfred
Hospital in Melbourne, notes that although it is still early, if the vaccine is
successful, it could be on the market in as little as three to five years.
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VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.