Burning issues: Has the MMR row altered doctors' views towards autism?

Published on Thursday 27 March 2008 19:51

YES John Fletcher, Justice Awareness and Basic Support (Jabs)

The GMC hearings are nothing more than a witch hunt against Dr (Andrew] Wakefield, Professor (Simon] Murch and Professor (John] Walker-Smith. The danger with this kind of witch hunt is that when children suffer a reaction to a vaccine there is little or no incentive for any doctor to report an adverse reactions or speak out about their own concerns.

The Department of Health's determined stand against Dr Wakefield's research and his hypothesis on regressive autism with gut disease, and a possible link to MMR vaccination, has resulted in many families finding it difficult to get their children's illness properly diagnosed and treated.

There is now an urgent need to study our children to find out why they are suffering neurological damage, including autism and seizure disorders.

In 1997, a list of 1,200 children was presented to the then health minister and the chief medical officer in a meeting between medical experts, politicians and family representatives. The list was provided with a request to undertake clinical studies on the children to find out why they suffered serious reactions and long-term problems following the MR and MMR vaccines. None of these children was ever studied. Why?

There are now rumblings in the US following a high-profile vaccine/autism case that there may be a need for medical authorities to screen children, separate combination vaccines and space them out. Parents have got to be given a choice on children's vaccines, not the one-size-fits-all approach – MMR or nothing. The medical profession has got to start listening to parents' concerns.

NO

Dr David Elliman, consultant in child health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London

The original research paper by Dr Wakefield and his colleagues said they didn't prove a link between MMR and autism. It was the subsequent comments by Dr Wakefield which started the scare and caused many parents to believe the vaccine may cause children to develop autism.

A lot of research was subsequently carried out around the world. These (studies] have looked at whether children with autism are more likely to have had MMR and also whether children who have had MMR are more likely to develop autism. No study has found that such a link exists.

This is not surprising because there is no obvious reason why being vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella should be linked to autism. There are side-effects with the MMR vaccine. We would expect to see a small proportion of children developing mild cases of measles. But developing measles does not mean you will develop autism.

In about one in 2,000 cases, a child will have a febrile convulsion after having MMR, but this is no different to those having the single jabs. Cases of convulsion are ten times higher than this in children who suffer measles as they have not been vaccinated.

By giving children single jabs you are putting them through three times the discomfort and three times the risk of side-effects at the injection site. The more complicated you make the vaccination process, the more likely children will not get the complete course. No countries have changed their policy on MMR since the initial scare. The vaccine should be used as it protects children from potentially serious diseases which can be fatal.