Vaccine appeal after measles outbreak

There have been concerns about the safety of the measles vaccine

Parents in Northern Ireland are being urged to ensure that children returning to school after the Christmas holidays are vaccinated against measles.

It comes after a major outbreak of measles in the Republic of Ireland claimed the lives of two babies and left scores of children hospitalised last year.

It was thought many parents had refused to allow their children to have the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine because of fears of a link to autism.

Whilst a higher number of children in the province receive the MMR vaccine than the rest of the UK, doctors wish to re-iterate its benefits.

The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect children from the dangers of measles, mumps and rubella

Dr Paul Darragh

Dr Paul Darragh, deputy chief medical officer at the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, said the vaccine protected against the "damaging and dangerous disease".

He said: "The uptake of the MMR vaccine is very high in Northern Ireland, but there is still room for improvement, especially in the pre-school booster dose of MMR.

"Measles can kill, in its most severe form. In other cases, it can cause ear and chest complications or brain damage.

"The fight against these diseases must be relentless. The MMR vaccine is the best way to protect children from the dangers of measles, mumps and rubella.

"I would encourage all parents to ensure that their children are fully immunised."

Two jabs

In Northern Ireland, 92.7% of children aged two are immunised compared with 88% in Britain.

By five years of age, 97.2% of children in the province have received at least one MMR injection and 86.2% have had two jabs.

Dr Darragh said the outbreak of measles in the republic emphasised how important it was for all children to receive the vaccine.

"They should have their first dose at 15 months, with a booster before they start school," he said.

I want them to have the option of a single dose vaccine.

Jan Campbell

Dr Darragh also said claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism were based were "unpublished, unverified and un interpretable".

"The key fact for parents is that those studies which have looked directly at whether MMR causes autism have found no link between the two."

Alliance Party Consumer Affairs spokesperson Jan Campbell backed the advice to parents, but hit out at the Department of Health for abolishing single dose vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella.

"The Department of Health should give serious consideration to bringing back the single dose vaccine," she said.

"At the moment parents can choose the MMR jab or nothing. I want them to have the option of a single dose vaccine.

"If parents still harbour suspicions about the combined MMR vaccination - whether those fears are justified or not, they should at least have the choice of a measles vaccine alone."

The Public Health Laboratory Service also stressed the benefits of the MMR vaccine.

A spokesman told BBC News Online: "What happened in Ireland is a tragic illustration of just how serious measles infection can be. It can put some lives at risk."

The World Health Organization recommends 95% of people need to be immunised to ensure against a resurgence of the disease.