The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7191 p431-434
30 March 2002

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  The Profession
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Letters to the Editor

Childhood vaccination

DoH's regressive attitude to MMR

From Ms J. L. Westbury, MRPharmS

I am concerned about the Department of Health's handling of the MMR issue. The DoH will only provide and promote the combined MMR vaccine. However, the whole concordance concept, which we are encouraged to embrace, emphasises that we acknowledge patient concerns about medicines and offer choice.

Are parents' concerns about the combined vaccine acknowledged? What sorts of choice are they offered?

The choice parents are faced with is to immunise their child with a vaccine they perceive as unsafe, or not to immunise at all. Many parents are genuinely worried about the possibility of an MMR-autism link and are opting not to immunise their children.

Single vaccines are produced yet these are not provided by the NHS. The Department insists that the combined vaccine is the only option.

The Department is clinging on to the regressive attitude that it knows best. As we move towards more concordant relationships in medicine taking, are we not supposed to be moving away from this sort of attitude?

Do we have to see epidemics of measles, mumps and rubella before the Department recognises that although the MMR vaccine may be its preferred option, it is not that of many parents? Is not the single vaccination programme a better alternative than no vaccination at all?

Juanita Westbury
Nantwich, Cheshire

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