In the early 1990s the World Health Organisation believed that Measles could be eradicated by 2010. Unfortunately they did not count on the tabloid hysteria that would surround one piece of research in 1998, which came to the conclusion that there could be a link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) jab and autistic spectrum disorders.
This research has now been discredited. The Lancet, in which the piece was originally published, has stated that they ‘regret’ publishing the research and that they would not have done so ‘with hindsight’.
Many studies have been carried out since the 1998 research, and the vast majority of evidence and expert opinion suggests that there is absolutely no link between the jab and autism.
What is clear is that there is a link between Measles and serious health complications. For the vast majority of sufferers Measles represents a week of discomfort and illness, parents considering whether their child should have the MMR jab or not must remember that Measles can also kill. It can also lead to other serious health problems, such as pneumonia, infections of the ears, eyes, lungs and throats, and swelling of the brain, and possible brain damage.
But, despite the weight of evidence and the seriousness of leaving children without protection, many parents in Wales are choosing not to let their children have the MMR vaccine. In some schools in Wales vaccination rates are as low as 15%, and in whole counties such as my home city of Swansea it is 77%. Across the whole of Wales the vaccination rate is 82%. This leaves 45,000 school aged children at risk, according to the National Public Health Service for Wales.
The problem is that measles is an incredibly contagious disease. It can be caught through direct contact with someone else who is infected. If they were to cough or sneeze, droplets can remain contagious on a surface for a few hours afterwards, leading to a very high rate of transmission.
Worldwide evidence suggests that for every five hundred infections, one person will die as a result and another will suffer serious brain damage.
Now the Daily Express has joined with some other papers to propagate another vaccine scare story. They are reporting allegations that the cervical cancer vaccine may be riskier and more deadly than the cancer it is designed to prevent.
There is no research to back up this assertion and no evidence other than the unfortunate and tragic death of 14-year-old Natalie Morton, who collapsed an hour after receiving the jab at school last week. This is despite the fact that the coroner is absolutely clear that the vaccine did not cause Natalie’s death.
In fact a pathologist has determined that Natalie Morton was killed by a huge malignant tumour in her heart and left lung. The coroner stated that the tumour was so developed that it could have killed her at any time and that it did not appear that the HPV immunisation was a contributory cause of death. But let us not allow the facts to get in the way of a good story.
In Wales we have rolled out the HPV vaccine to all schools. It is calculated that early vaccinations now will save countless lives in the future by averting death from cervical cancer. By undermining confidence in the vaccine in this way the Sunday Express are being irresponsible and putting women’s lives at risk.
The vaccine has been thoroughly tested and licensed. For once we need to allow science to determine what is safe and what is not, rather than rely on sensationalist headlines in Sunday newspapers.
Related posts:
I am absolutely sick of the press in this country distorting scientific and medical stories and scaring the bejessus out of people and especially parents of young children.
This HPV scare is exactly that, a scare. It is instructive as I reported on my blog earlier this year that the Daily Mail campaigns against the HPV vaccine in the UK and for it in Ireland. It is clear that they just follow the line to sell the most papers rather than looking at the facts.