Markasurusi usProbertasaurusius
October 31st 03, 02:30 PM
MMR row expert urges jab take-up
A huge drop in the number of children having the MMR vaccination has left
the UK on the verge of a major measles outbreak, a leading specialist has
warned.
Dr Simon Murch was involved in the original research that led to fears among
some parents that the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab was linked to
autism.
He has consistently said there is no proven link between the jab and autism
and now, writing in the Lancet, he has warned that MMR uptake as low as 60%
in some areas is leaving British children vulnerable to disease.
Another of the original authors of the research, Dr Andrew Wakefield, has
suggested there is fresh unpublished evidence of a link.
[Comment: If it is agood as his last evidence, then there is a link betrween
Big Macs and autism.]
However, the Department of Health has strongly rebutted his claim - made to
the BBC - that this was presented to government officials.
They say that no new research has emerged to support fears over MMR.
Dr Murch's warning comes after Scottish health officials said the incidence
of suspected or confirmed mumps cases rose by 27%, rubella by 22% and
measles by 18% in children under 15 over the past 18 months.
Dr Murch, of the centre for paediatric gastroenterology at the Royal Free
Hospital in London, was one of the authors of a 1998 paper published in the
Lancet which looked the connection between inflammatory bowel disease and
autistic disorders.
The paper found a connection between bowel problems and autism but did not
conclude that MMR was connected to this.
However Dr Wakefield, the lead author of the paper, sparked a storm when he
went on to raise fears of a link between the combined jab and autism, and
recommended the use of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines instead.
Quote: "There is now unequivocal evidence that MMR is not a risk factor for
autism " Dr Simon Murch
While Dr Murch's name was on the original Lancet paper, he has always
advocated continuing with MMR jabs.
Writing in this week's Lancet, Dr Murch states that there is unequivocal
evidence supporting the safety of the MMR vaccine.
"No other vaccine has ever been studied in such depth, and the evidence for
its overall safety is comprehensive.
He adds: "That any reports that characteristic gut inflammation in autistic
children are reported in the media as supporting the idea that MMR is
causative is deeply frustrating, since it is simply not so."
"Unless vaccine uptake improves rapidly, major measles epidemics are
likely in the UK this winter. Dr Simon Murch
Dr Murch adds: "MMR immunisation, which should be an easy decision, has
become a worrying issue for many British parents.
"Although this situation reflects in part a broader mistrust of official
pronouncements, and has been fuelled by media campaigning, it is founded on
the misinformed perception that there is ongoing scientific uncertainty.
"There is now unequivocal evidence that MMR is not a risk factor for
autism - this statement is not spin or medical conspiracy, but reflects an
unprecedented volume of medical study on a worldwide basis.
"An unprotected child is not only at personal danger, but represents a
potential hazard to others, including unborn children. Unless vaccine uptake
improves rapidly, major measles epidemics are likely in the UK this winter."
He told the BBC: "You take acceptable risks all the time. I think that
anybody who tries to say there is no risk attached to any medical
intervention is actually being disingenuous.
"What I'm saying is that the level of risk is clearly extremely small. And
the risk attached to not giving MMR is much, much greater."
Dr Wakefield, however, told the BBC that a number of scientists were
"increasingly worried" about the possibility of a link between MMR and some
cases of autism.
He said: "I can tell you that senior members of the joint committee on
vaccination and immunisation in their capacities as expert advisers to the
vaccine manufacturers, have been presented with compelling evidence of a
link between MMR, bowel disease in children with autism.."
He said he was not in a position to disclose any more information about this
evidence.
------------------------
Now, lets see how the anti-vac liars spin this one.
A huge drop in the number of children having the MMR vaccination has left
the UK on the verge of a major measles outbreak, a leading specialist has
warned.
Dr Simon Murch was involved in the original research that led to fears among
some parents that the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab was linked to
autism.
He has consistently said there is no proven link between the jab and autism
and now, writing in the Lancet, he has warned that MMR uptake as low as 60%
in some areas is leaving British children vulnerable to disease.
Another of the original authors of the research, Dr Andrew Wakefield, has
suggested there is fresh unpublished evidence of a link.
[Comment: If it is agood as his last evidence, then there is a link betrween
Big Macs and autism.]
However, the Department of Health has strongly rebutted his claim - made to
the BBC - that this was presented to government officials.
They say that no new research has emerged to support fears over MMR.
Dr Murch's warning comes after Scottish health officials said the incidence
of suspected or confirmed mumps cases rose by 27%, rubella by 22% and
measles by 18% in children under 15 over the past 18 months.
Dr Murch, of the centre for paediatric gastroenterology at the Royal Free
Hospital in London, was one of the authors of a 1998 paper published in the
Lancet which looked the connection between inflammatory bowel disease and
autistic disorders.
The paper found a connection between bowel problems and autism but did not
conclude that MMR was connected to this.
However Dr Wakefield, the lead author of the paper, sparked a storm when he
went on to raise fears of a link between the combined jab and autism, and
recommended the use of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines instead.
Quote: "There is now unequivocal evidence that MMR is not a risk factor for
autism " Dr Simon Murch
While Dr Murch's name was on the original Lancet paper, he has always
advocated continuing with MMR jabs.
Writing in this week's Lancet, Dr Murch states that there is unequivocal
evidence supporting the safety of the MMR vaccine.
"No other vaccine has ever been studied in such depth, and the evidence for
its overall safety is comprehensive.
He adds: "That any reports that characteristic gut inflammation in autistic
children are reported in the media as supporting the idea that MMR is
causative is deeply frustrating, since it is simply not so."
"Unless vaccine uptake improves rapidly, major measles epidemics are
likely in the UK this winter. Dr Simon Murch
Dr Murch adds: "MMR immunisation, which should be an easy decision, has
become a worrying issue for many British parents.
"Although this situation reflects in part a broader mistrust of official
pronouncements, and has been fuelled by media campaigning, it is founded on
the misinformed perception that there is ongoing scientific uncertainty.
"There is now unequivocal evidence that MMR is not a risk factor for
autism - this statement is not spin or medical conspiracy, but reflects an
unprecedented volume of medical study on a worldwide basis.
"An unprotected child is not only at personal danger, but represents a
potential hazard to others, including unborn children. Unless vaccine uptake
improves rapidly, major measles epidemics are likely in the UK this winter."
He told the BBC: "You take acceptable risks all the time. I think that
anybody who tries to say there is no risk attached to any medical
intervention is actually being disingenuous.
"What I'm saying is that the level of risk is clearly extremely small. And
the risk attached to not giving MMR is much, much greater."
Dr Wakefield, however, told the BBC that a number of scientists were
"increasingly worried" about the possibility of a link between MMR and some
cases of autism.
He said: "I can tell you that senior members of the joint committee on
vaccination and immunisation in their capacities as expert advisers to the
vaccine manufacturers, have been presented with compelling evidence of a
link between MMR, bowel disease in children with autism.."
He said he was not in a position to disclose any more information about this
evidence.
------------------------
Now, lets see how the anti-vac liars spin this one.