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Sharp end of new MMR controversy
With one in four children now unprotected against measles, mumps and rubella, and fears we could be on the brink of a major outbreak, is it time to make the MMR jab compulsory?
Sir Sandy Macara much prefers the stick to the carrot.
Last year, the former chairman of the British Medical Association suggested there was a simple solution to the problematic slump in
MMR vaccinations. Parents who ensured their children were protected against measles, mumps and rubella would continue to enjoy full child benefits. Those that didn't wouldn't.
The Government didn't take up his proposals, but 12 months on, Sir Sandy is again pushing for compulsory vaccinations, this time calling for schools to ban pupils who haven't been immunised.
The motion will be debated at the BMA's annual conference later this month and comes after the number of children receiving the
jab slumped after a report wrongly linked the jab to an increased risk of autism.
While the research has been discredited, the ripples are still being felt and the resulting drop in numbers is being blamed for measles outbreaks across the country.
Health chiefs in Wales are currently facing their worst outbreak in 13 years and with one in four under-fives not having received the two jabs necessary for full protection, there are fears it could lead to an epidemic.
"Our attempts to persuade people have failed," said Sir Sandy. "The suggestion is we ought to consider making a link which in effect would make it compulsory for children to be immunised if they are to receive the benefit of a free education from the state."
Certainly there is a case to be answered, but is compulsory vaccination really the way forward?
Other pupils are being put at risk
YES
Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield.
The vaccination rate for MMR has fallen to 72 per cent in this country, which effectively means one in four children are not protected against measles, mumps and rubella.
There was never any evidence to link the jab to autism and while my heart goes out to parents whose children have been diagnosed with the condition, it is not caused by a vaccination. The scaremongering has been fuelled by internet conspiracy theorists, and we now need to take radical action if we are to prevent a resurgence of these diseases, which, let's be clear, can have devastating consequences.
Mumps may not kill, but it can cause male infertility, the most serious cases of measles can lead to fits and in the worst case death, while rubella can prove fatal for the unborn child.
Parents need to ask not only if that's what they want for their own children, but they must consider the effects on others.
Infections sweep through schools like wildfire and the recent cases of swine flu at
Eton and a primary school in Birmingham should serve as a reminder of just how one infected child can unknowingly infect others.
Those parents who come to Britain from other countries where measles is rife and who have seen the effects are first in the line for vaccinations, but I do think we now need to follow the example of America which has already introduced compulsory MMR jabs.
In 2008, there were 1,348 confirmed cases of England and Wales, a rise of more than a third on the previous year. There is currently a serious outbreak in Wales and in the last three years two children have died after contracting the disease. America has a population six times greater than ours, but had fewer than 100 cases of measles last year.
Britain has a long history of protecting civil liberties, and, like America, any measures to introduce compulsory vaccinations would also include opt-out clauses. Clearly we wouldn't give live vaccinations to children who are immuno-compromised, and it would make sense to allow parents to decline for both religious and philosophical reasons.
Interestingly in America, which administers the vaccines on a state-by-state basis, Colorado has the highest number of parents opting out. The vaccination rate has fallen to 82 per cent. It also has the highest number of measles cases.
My personal feeling is that many parents haven't had their children vaccinated simply because they have forgotten.
We need to make sure we are having the conversation with parents, and one way of doing that is to ask parents about vaccinations when they apply for a school place and require them to talk through their choices with a nurse or a GP who can explain the risks they are taking with their family's health.
Punishing the child for parents' choices
NO
Nick Seaton, Campaign For Real Education.
The move may be well- intentioned, but it seems to me to be entirely the wrong approach to address the very serious issue of child immunisation.
Obviously every parent should be encouraged to make sure their children have the jab, but being placed under this sort of pressure by the nanny state is totally unnecessary and most reasonable people I am sure would think banning a child from school simply because
they have not had a vaccine is a step too far.
It was a number of years ago that concerns were raised about a possible link between the MMR jab and autism and, while there is now a weight of evidence suggesting otherwise, a lot of parents remain worried and I very much doubt the introduction of compulsory vaccinations would help allay those concerns. In fact, it may have the very opposite effect.
Parents should have the right to do what they think is in the best interests of their own child and, while I support the MMR vaccine, surely the best way to increase immunisation rates is to persuade parents of the benefits.
Of course, we all know schools can be a breeding ground for coughs, colds and more serious infections, and an outbreak of measles is not what anyone wants, but simply telling parents they must do something is not going to work.
We can't allow a situation to arise where families are being frog-marched to the doctor's surgery against their will. Instead, what we do need is a more robust programme of awareness campaigns. This is not going to be an overnight solution, but given the controversy which has reigned for so long about MMR, it would be silly to think a quick turn around could be achieved.
If we want to reverse the decline in the uptake of the MMR vaccination and ensure the rate remains high in the future, we clearly need to do much more talking to parents. In the early years of a child's life they have regular contact with their GPs and health visitors and it would seem to me that it is there, at grassroots level, where the real difference can and should be made.
Aside from any moral issues which arise from the whole notion of compulsory injections, there is the not insignificant matter of how it would work and who would enforce it.
Presumably the medical records of each child starting school would have to be checked or some certificate provided. Teachers are already drowning under a weight of bureaucracy and paperwork, and this measure seems to be an unnecessary addition to the load.
School is so important, and in those very early years it is vital children have continuity of education.
Punishing the child, by denying the opportunity to learn, because of decisions their parents have made seems both wrong and unworkable.
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