THE government was last night facing a furious backlash from parents and doctors over controversial plans to introduce a new five-in-one vaccine for babies.
Campaigners warned that the new jab, which is set to replace existing separate vaccines as early as next month, faces an MMR-style boycott from many parents fearful of the effect it might have on their children.
Despite the lack of advance public
ity or consultation, stockpiles are already being created of the new jab, which will be given at two months to vaccinate against diphtheria, tetanus, hib, polio, and whooping cough.
Ministers, who will formally announce the plan tomorrow, insist the quintuple jab is safe, and a positive development for parents because it replaces the whooping cough vaccine, which contained mercury.
But while many parents, doctors and politicians last night welcomed the removal of the toxic metal, they expressed fears about the safety of combining so many vaccines in one jab.
Opponents argue that even if the vaccines which make up the jabs are safe individually, combining them could give rise to unforeseen reactions and risks. The same fears that the combined MMR jab could be linked to autism led to many children remaining unprotected against deadly diseases.
The Scottish Executive last night refused to comment on the news or even say whether there had been any prior consultation on the switch to the new vaccine.
But official sources confirmed that the new five-in-one treatment had been chosen to replace existing vaccines. They claimed the decision had been taken to avoid giving babies a vaccine containing mercury.
Until now, the whooping cough jab has contained mercury in a form called thiomersal, which is used to preserve the vaccine. But in June, it emerged that researchers at Columbia University had found autism-like damage in the brains of mice exposed to thiomersal.
Although ministers are continuing to insist that there was no evidence that the mercury in the vaccine was harmful, they have said that it is good practice to avoid mercury wherever possible and therefore switch to the new jab.
The other reason for the switch is that the current ‘live’ polio vaccine will be replaced by a new ‘killed’ version, which is believed to be safer.
There is to be no change to the meningitis C vaccine programme or to the existing measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which does not contain mercury.
The change means, however, that NHS patients will be offered no choice but to let their children have the quintuple jab. Anyone who objects will have either to find single jabs privately or leave their baby exposed to dangerous diseases.
The move provoked a furious response last night.
Dr Andrew Wakefield, the scientist whose research in 1998 raised the first fears that the MMR combined jab could be linked to children developing autism, welcomed the decision to remove mercury from the jab as a victory for parents.
He said: "It should never have been there in the first place. Despite how they try to sell it, there is evidence that there is an association between mercury in vaccines and childhood disorders.
"Mercury was taken out of animal vaccinations 20 years ago because it was too toxic. Why on earth have we still been putting it in jabs for our children?"
But he raised concerns about government plans to introduce the cost-saving five-in-one vaccine and said more research should be done before it was offered.
He said: "They are giving more and more vaccinations to children in one session, but they seem to be saying there is no evidence that this will overwhelm a child’s immune system. There is no evidence because they have not looked for it."
Dr Peter Mansfield, a former GP who is now a healthy living adviser, said: "The disadvantages are legion. The big minus is that we are still giving a major combined vaccine to a child who is frankly far too young for a treatment of this sort.
"There is also a problem of credibility: they spent years telling us that the mercury in the vaccine was safe and now they are removing it. That’s fine, but it doesn’t help people know what to believe."
David Davidson, the Scottish Tory health spokesman, warned that ministers risked alienating parents by insisting that vaccines needed to be taken in a single jab.
He said: "I have concerns that there will be a reluctance to accept this blockbuster-style vaccine. Because there was a lack of choice for parents, there was a lack of confidence."
Bill Welsh, the chairman of the Glasgow-based MMR charity Action Against Autism, said: "I welcome the removal of the mercury but I do not welcome the five-in-one vaccine. I do not believe that the body of a two-month-old baby can accept that much punishment - that’s five vaccines all at once.
"What they need to tell us is what research has been done on this new vaccine, where it has been tested, how long and the interests of those who tested it."
Jackie Fletcher, founder of the parent support group Jabs (Justice, Awareness and Basic Support), said: "Increasing the combinations increases the potential for an adverse reaction and restricts choice for parents, when the government said it wanted to improve choice."
But others have insisted there is no evidence that combined vaccines are dangerous.
John Oxford, professor of virology at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, said: "I don’t think anyone has shown any evidence that multiple vaccines can overwhelm the immune system. Every day our systems are exposed to much more than that."
The current takeup rate for vaccines protecting against the five illnesses is over 95%, the Executive’s target rate. But the rate for takeup of the MMR vaccine is just 88%, meaning there are enough unvaccinated people in the general population for there to be a risk that illnesses such as mumps and measles could spread among the population.
The full article contains 1037 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
