In his first year and a half, your baby will be offered several routine immunisations to ward against diseases like tetanus, polio and meningitis. But it’s the MMR vaccine that grabs the headlines, and all the press attention it receives leaves some parents feeling confused and worried about whether to go ahead with it...
What is MMR?
MMR is a triple vaccine that immunizes against measles, mumps and rubella, and is offered to children in the UK at 13 months. It’s offered again between 3-5 years to produce immunity in the small number of children who fail to develop immunity after the first dose. The programme started in Britain in 1988 and worldwide, more than 500 million doses of the MMR vaccine have been given in over 100 countries.
What does it protect against?
Measles is a highly infectious virus, with symptoms including a high fever, a rash and generally being unwell. Complications, like chest infections, fits, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and brain damage, can occur in one in every 15 children with measles. In very serious cases, measles kills.
Fever, headache, and painful, swollen glands in the face, neck and jaw are symptoms of Mumps. In some cases it can cause permanent deafness, viral meningitis (swelling of the lining of the brain) and encephalitis. Rarely, it causes painful swelling of the testicles and ovaries.
Rubella, or German measles, can show up as a short-lived rash, swollen glands and a sore throat. In children it’s usually mild and can go unnoticed. However in unborn babies, it can seriously damage their sight, hearing, heart and brain. Known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), infection in the first three months of pregnancy causes damage to the unborn baby in 90% of cases.
All three viruses are spread by coughs and sneezes, with measles being highly infectious and mumps and rubella about as infectious as flu.
MMR and Autism
In 1998 the vaccine became the subject of huge controversy after the publication of a paper which suggested a link between MMR and autism and bowel symptoms. Independent experts from around the world have since found no credible scientific evidence for such a link, with a large amount of evidence showing that there is no link. However, intense media reporting of the MMR-autism controversy is blamed for causing some parents to delay their child's MMR immunisation or not to have it at all.
Last year, fears of a new measles epidemic caused the government to launch a campaign to boost MMR immunization rates. The number of cases of measles in the UK rose by 36% in 2008, with the Health Protection Agency attributing most of the cases to children not fully vaccinated with the MMR jab.
Single vs. triple vaccine
Some believe that the safest way to immunize children against these three diseases is to administer three separate vaccines in stages, therefore not overloading the child's immune system. Single vaccines are not available on the NHS, meaning that parents have to pay for them to be done privately.
Opponents argue that the combined vaccine is safe, while single vaccines have not been properly tested in the UK, and that separate vaccines leave children open to infection.
Only you as a parent can make the decision whether or not to give your child the MMR vaccine. Arm yourself with the facts and talk to your GP for further advice and information.
