- Health secretary Jeremy Hunt told MPs a ‘national plan’ is in place
- He said: ‘I want to reassure you we are taking this extremely seriously’
By
Tamara Cohen
22:03 EST, 23 April 2013
|
06:48 EST, 24 April 2013
Thousands of MMR vaccines have been stockpiled by the Government so anyone who has not had the jab can be immunised, it emerged last night.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt told MPs there was a ‘national plan’ in place in response to the epidemic in Swansea, where the number of measles cases has risen to 886.
He said: ‘I want to reassure you we are taking this extremely seriously. In terms of making sure we have sufficient numbers of vaccines, ensure that we are talking in a targeted way to communities and to schools, that’s absolutely going on.’
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told MPs that thousands
of MMR vaccines have been stockpiled by the Government so anyone who has
not had the jab can be immunised
He told MPs on the Commons Health Select Committee yesterday that ‘making sure we have sufficient numbers’ of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was ‘absolutely going on’, The Times reported.
Mr Hunt was asked about whether there would be a national MMR vaccination campaign by Tory MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, a former GP, who said in parts of her Devon constituency 30 per cent of children had not had it.
Dr Wollaston said it was time for a ‘national vaccination campaign’ which would tell parents that by vaccinating their children ‘you protect the whole community’.
Health officials are expected to announce shortly a ‘catch-up’ programme for people who have not been immunised.
The number of people infected with measles has shot up by more than 78 in just than five days, health officials have confirmed.
Last week the disease claimed its first victim – a 25-year-old father-of-one from Swansea.
Doctors warned this week that two million children are at risk of catching measles if the latest outbreak spreads.
They said London, where nearly half of children have not had the jab, could be worst hit if cases of the disease spread from Wales.
Teenagers aged 13 to 15 are most at risk, as many were not vaccinated from the late 1990s, when a now-discredited scientific report was published linking the MMR jab with autism.
Labour MP Barbara Keeley, one of the MPs on the Commons Health Select Committee who questioned Mr Hunt yesterday, said MMR uptake was also low in parts of her Salford constituency.
Many children were not vaccinated from the late 1990s, when a now-discredited scientific report was published linking the MMR jab with autism
Mr Hunt told MPs: ‘We certainly must not think of this as something that’s [just] happening in Wales. I receive regular updates from the Chief Medical Officer. We have comprehensive plans in place.
‘We need to use this as a moment to slay the myth about MMR. I do detect a turning point in terms of the public’s attitudes towards this but there is still that critical 11 to 15 year old age group that may not have been vaccinated because they were toddlers at the time the MMR scare was so appallingly whipped up.’
MMR is administered in two doses – at around one year and again at age 4/5 before starting school. One dose provides 95 per cent protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
Levels of uptake are now high – 89 per cent in England and 93 per cent in Wales and rising. The World Health Organisation recommends 95 per cent of the population have it for full protection.
By 2004 first dose uptake had fallen to 80 per cent in England and 79 per cent in Wales meaning more than 100,000 children did not have it in that year alone.
Typical symptoms of measles include fever, cough, conjunctivitis and a rash.
Complications are quite common, even in healthy people, and about 20 per cent of reported measles sufferers experience them, including ear infections, vomiting and diarrhoea, pneumonia, meningitis and serious eye disorders.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘We currently have enough vaccine to protect everyone who needs it. If your child has not had two doses of MMR, whatever their age, contact your GP surgery and make an appointment.’
Jeremy Hunt also revealed to the committee that all 2,000 civil servants in the Department of Health would be expected to get regular ‘frontline’ experience in NHS hospitals – and that he had started already.
Mr Hunt is understood to have worked at the AE department in Watford General Hospital last week, doing cleaning, portering and observing clinical work. He will undertake different roles at other hospital trusts.
He said: ‘It’s been great fun. I’ve learned a huge amount.’ It was announced all policy staff including ministers would get experience of frontline NHS care following the report into the scandal at Stafford Hospital.
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My eldest had a serious reaction to her first MMR vaccine so she didn’t have the second and I didn’t have my second vaccinated as she had bowel issues and at the time they were connecting it with crohns. They both had the full course a age 10/11. I then didn’t agree with them having the HPV as it was very new. I did ask for their views and they agreed to go along with me. Anyway my eldest ( a medic) is now very angry with me and won’t forgive me. We get along OK except for this.
My other two haven’t had their MMR, my 9 year old has autistic traits and despite everything I am still worried in case it makes him worse. Who would be a parent!!
Karen
,
Bedford,
24/4/2013 13:39
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whilst I think that the injections may be safe to most people I truly believe that some people cannot cope with multiple vaccines at the same time and their systems get ‘overloaded’.
unfortunately peoples immune systems are not tested before getting the jab – so its a bit like russion roulette
I understand that the only country to ban MMR outright was japan (due to adverse reactions) IMHO the government will never admit that there ‘might’ be an issue – just imagine the compansation claims – look what happened with thalidomide.
parents should have a choice…..
Margaret
,
Redditch, United Kingdom,
24/4/2013 13:30
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This newspaper, with its love of spurious and unproven medical studies, played a significant role in spreading fear among the general population which is now being realised with this epidemic. As usual, no apology is evident. Mass vaccination is one of the greatest medical safeguards we have. Do the flat earthers and conspiracy theorists want a return to the good old days of people dying en masse?
Jean H
,
Scotland, United Kingdom,
24/4/2013 13:22
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Nice of the Department of Health spokesman to say “if your child has not had the mmr booster, to contact your GP and make an appointment†this is usually a community vaccination, done by health visitors/school nurses, and a lot of GP’s don’t have MMR in stock.
The Department if Health really need to consult, arrange, advise and distribute before making statements to very worried parents who then become more worried because their GP has never done childrens vaccinations before.
The surgery I work at are currently waiting for stock to be delivered after realising there were no provisions for ages 6-10 year olds in the community.
Jabez Clegg
,
Manchester,
24/4/2013 13:19
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“I still wouldn’t give them MMR even in the midst of an outbreak. “- Amelie, UK, United Kingdom, Why? I keep on reading this type of comment on here. As far as i can see it is based on the Wakefield et al., 1998 study linking the MMR to Autism. This study has been discredited, it has been show that the Author, Andrew Wakefield conducted the research in a dishonest fashion. Since then there have been several scientific studies that show no link between MMR and Autism. Having the jab will not necessarily stop a child from getting measles but will significantly limit complications if a child were to contract the disease.
Hackysac
,
Up North,
24/4/2013 13:05
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So you think the government should spend money pandering to people’s evidence-free paranoia do you? We have lots of evidence that there is no increased health risk at all from taking MMR over single jabs. None, not a jot, nada. However, there is also evidence that single jabs are much more expensive, leave the patient without immunity for longer, and are less likely to be completed in full as it requires 6 different trips to the doctor.
so single jabs have a wealth of downsides, and no evidenced upsides whatsoever. But that’s about what I’d expect from someone who thinks the only two levels of scientific certainty are ‘beyond a shadow of doubt’ and ‘clueless’. – ZedsDeadBed
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The red arrows you got for this show the level of ignorance out there. People should be forced to choose between science based treatments and claptrap, for life. That would breed out the ignorant.
PMC
,
London,
24/4/2013 12:31
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Any parent not vaccinating their child properly is wholly irresponsible and have caused a resurgence of what was a nearly eradicates disease. Those piously declaring that they didn’t get their child vaccinated should hang their heads in shame, this is their fault. Being on the red arrows, don’t care, truth hurts!!!
Amanda
,
London,
24/4/2013 12:31
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Is this available for adults?
tippytwotoes
,
London, UK,
24/4/2013 12:29
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i see all the idiots are on here today i had measles when young and have been deaf in one ear eversince my freind’s daughter had it and had brain swellng dont tell me its some mild childhood desease my daughter was one of the first groups to have the MMR and was fine as was everyone in her her group unfourtunatly children develope autism and parents want something to blame.
tj
,
london, United Kingdom,
24/4/2013 12:24
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I have Autism and was born in 1988 which is when the MMR first became available. I never had the MMR as I had Measles and Rubella as a baby and only needed the Mumps jab. Same applies to my Father, his Father, his Father and my maternal Grandfather and Uncle, except that there was no MMR in their day. Autism has been a fact of life throughout human history, we just didn’t know what it was until the 1940s. When my Father was a child in the 1940s people died of measles, or were left severely disabled by it. There is absolutely no evidence that MMR causes, or increases the risk of, Autism. Vaccination needs mass uptake to be effective – it provides herd immunity. The more people who don’t get vaccinated, the higher the risk of death and serious illness to everyone, especially the un-vaccinated.
Laura
,
England,
24/4/2013 12:23
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