Health chiefs must learn MMR lesson

The Department of Health decision - which will also apply in Scotland - is in some ways long overdue, not least the removal of mercury from the jab given to two-month-old babies. Until now it has been used as an anti-bacterial agent in the part of the vaccine which protects against whooping cough, even though campaigners had long linked it to autism and argued against injecting a form of a toxic metal into small children. The only remaining question is why it took the government so long to act - in Canada mercury in the form of thiomersal was removed from child vaccinations in March 2001.

It is also indisputable that vaccinations are generally a good thing. The alarming fall in uptake of the MMR jab protecting against measles, mumps and rubella has left parts of the UK exposed to diseases that can blind, brain-damage and kill children. Without so-called "herd immunity" against these diseases we have seen recent outbreaks of mumps in Glasgow and measles in South Wales. We also need protection against the five diseases covered by the combined jab announced yesterday: diptheria releases a poison that causes paralysis and heart damage, killing one in 10 victims; tetanus attacks the nervous system, resulting in painful death for 60% of those who get it; whooping cough (or petrussis) can lead to pneumonia, convulsions and brain damage in infants; Hib causes meningitis that can kill or cause permanent injury; and polio, once the scourge of so many nations, leads to permanent disability and death.

In fact, polio offers a salutory lesson for us all. The success of vaccination programmes has all-but eliminated this horrible disease in Britain and across the globe. Where 50 years ago millions of children were infected every year, in 1999 there were just 2,000 cases, and in the UK there are only two or three a year. Unfortunately, the few cases that still occur in Britain have been caused by the very jab which saved so many other people, as use of a "live" polio virus in the vaccine has, in very rare cases, given the recipient the disease. The new five-in-one jab will use a "dead" version of polio to give our children’s immune systems the weapon they need to defeat the virus in the, now unlikely, event that they ever come into contact with it.

So far, so good. But the more controversial element of the change is that the new-style polio vaccination will be added to the mix that, up to now, has only covered the four other infections (indeed, Hib was only recently added to what was previously a triple combination). It is the fact that tiny babies will now receive a cocktail of five powerful vaccines that is causing renewed disquiet among parents who are only just coming round to the triple MMR vaccination.

EXPERTS INSIST that children can easily cope with five vaccines in one shot, but in Canada, where the combined jab is already in use, at least three watchdog organisations have sprung up, including the parent-led Vaccine Risk Awareness Network. It has become the focal point for parents who believe vaccines have harmed their children, citing asthma, allergies and autism. British campaigners are already following suit. Jackie Fletcher, of pressure group JABS, yesterday warned that "increasing the combinations increases the potential for an adverse reaction and restricts choice for parents".

The campaigners, and some politicians, also asked legitimate questions about the safety checks and trials that had been carried out before yesterday’s DoH announcement. So far, the answers have been vague. Worse, the message from the Health Protection Agency and ministers has been patronisingly close to a "trust us, little people, we know best". The MMR experience should have taught the government that when it comes to the health of our children, parents will not swallow that particular medicine.