Scots medics back MMR jab

Leading medics say the MMR vaccine is safe

Scottish medical experts have given their backing for the controversial measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The Scottish sections of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of Nursing said there was "no evidence" that the vaccine was linked to cases of autism in young children.

Both organisations said any attempt to replace the single vaccine with three separate inoculations would be a "retrograde step".

Their comments came as the Scottish Parliament debated the MMR vaccine on Thursday.

Dr John Garner: "No evidence of a link"

A motion tabled by Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan called for single vaccines to be introduced in Scotland for the next five years until a detailed study of the effects of MMR can be undertaken.

But leading figures from the medical profession have opposed the step and said it would lead to fresh outbreaks of infection and an "inevitable" rise in child deaths.

Dr John Garner, chairman of the BMA's Scottish Council, said: "In-depth scientific research, including the world's largest study which reviewed 14 years of MMR vaccination, has found no evidence of any causal link between MMR and autism.

"There is, however, a very clear link between low rates of vaccination uptake, increased incidence of life-threatening complications from measles and the use of separate vaccines."

This was backed by Dr Niall Finlayson, vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

'Safety net'

He said: "The MMR vaccination programme has been a tremendous success in Scotland in recent years and has prevented children from becoming severely ill and, in some cases, from premature death.

"It is essential that parents continue to have their children immunised with the MMR vaccine in order to prevent children slipping through the safety net which this provides."

A spokesman for the Faculty of Public Health Medicine said the use of single vaccines would put more children at risk.

Some GPs are reluctant to use the vaccine

"At best using single antigens would leave many more children unprotected for extended periods and would raise the likelihood of epidemics," he said.

"This would inevitably result in unnecessary suffering for children, the birth of babies damaged by rubella and some deaths."

In Scotland 93% of young children receive the MMR injection by their second birthday with 92% receiving a second before their sixth birthday.

Although doctors said that 95% of children needed the vaccine to ensure immunity, many parents have remained convinced that it has been responsible for the onset of autism in their child.

In recent months, a growing numbers of GPs across Scotland have begun to use single vaccines at the request of parents.

They have been able to import the individual vaccines from abroad and one practice in Edinburgh has inoculated 400 children using the method.

So far, about 2,000 families in Britain have taken legal action, alleging that their children have been damaged by the MMR jab.