The announcement yesterday (Wednesday) by Forth Valley's top public health expert came as a new report claimed there was no evidence that MMR or single measles vaccines are associated with autism or inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr Anthony Breslin, who is responsible for the immunisation programme in the area, confirmed a one per cent increase in vaccination rates in the campaign to protect children from the potentially fatal diseases of measles, mumps and rubella.

The Forth Valley MMR uptake now stands at 89.3 per cent.

Three months ago, Dr Breslin warned of his fears for a deadly measles epidemic in this area if parents continued to shun the triple vaccination.

The public health consultant was so concerned that he took steps to alert GPs and other health staff to the worrying trend. Previously the region had a 94 per cent uptake in the MMR vaccine, while other childhood immunisation hovered around the 98 per cent mark.

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But, following widespread coverage of the MMR debate and its suggested links to autism and bowel disease, Dr Breslin and his colleagues noticed a drop in the vaccination rate.

However, after he voiced his fears in The Falkirk Herald, parents appear to be heeding his warning.

The Forth Valley figures come in the wake of an earlier statement from Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Mac Armstrong, welcoming a small rise in the uptake nationally while warning there is still more work to be done.

Dr Breslin said he had several meetings with health professionals and parents to provide the latest information and address their concerns, as well as meeting concerned parents individually.

He added: "I believe that providing people with the latest information on this topic of MMR does help them with their decisions about getting their child immunised."

A conference is planned for June 28 in Stirling Royal Infirmary to bring health staff up-to-date with the latest findings.
The report claiming children are not at risk from the MMR jab was published in the on-line medical journal Clincal Evidence.

Its authors state that after a detailed search on published findings, they found no evidence that MMR or single measles vaccines are associated with autism or inflammatory bowel disease. However, they claim there is strong evidence that both MMR and single measles vaccination virtually eliminate risk of measles and measles complications.