The British government has launched a public-relations campaign to convince parents of the safety of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The move comes amid fears that controversy over the vaccine has left many children unprotected.
Health officials have recently reported measles outbreaks in 2 regions, with 11 confirmed cases in London, where fewer than 75% of children have been vaccinated. (According to Health Canada, MMR vaccination coverage in Canada stands at about 95%.) More cases have been reported near Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in nearby Durham. By Feb. 13, the number of confirmed cases had reached 36. In Canada measles is an extremely rare disease, reaching a low of 12 reported cases in 1998; there used to be up to 400 000 cases annually.
British parents' confidence in the MMR vaccine has fallen since 1998, when gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield and colleagues suggested there could be a link between the use of MMR vaccine and autism and bowel disorders in children (Lancet 1998;351:637-41). However, that conclusion was challenged in February by Dr. Brent Taylor and colleagues (BMJ 2002;324:393-6). Wakefield and others have called for a return to the use of single vaccines instead of the triple vaccine. Britain's National Health Service (NHS) does not provide the single vaccines, but a dozen private clinics in England and Scotland will — at a cost of roughly Can$500 per child. The NHS provides the MMR vaccine at no cost.
The NHS seems unlikely to change its policy, despite a recent poll indicating that 85% of Britons believed that the single vaccines should be made available. Speaking in the House of Commons in February, Prime Minister Tony Blair accused critics of the MMR vaccine of “scaremongering.” — Mary Helen Spooner, West Sussex, UK