Dr Chris Steele of ITV's This Morning speaks out in favour of the MMR triple vaccine.

Dr Chris Steele is 100% behind the MMR jab

Before you read any further let me tell you straight that as a father of four, I would have my kids vaccinated with the MMR vaccine! I've had to thoroughly research this MMR topic before giving my advice to millions of mothers on ITV's This Morning, I can emphatically state that you must have your child vaccinated.

The MMR jab, which protects against mumps, measles and rubella was introduced into the UK childhood vaccination programme in 1988 to protect children against these highly infectious diseases, which can be serious and sometimes life-threatening, and all evidence so far suggests it’s safe. Mumps can cause meningitis and brain damage, measles can cause deafness, pneumonia, convulsions and encephalitis (brain inflammation), while rubella (German Measles) can cause severe malformations of a foetus, along with deafness, blindness, heart abnormalities and mental retardation. Rubella doesn't really affect adults, it attacks the unborn child.

Unfortunately, people have now forgotten how serious these diseases of the past can be - years ago, mumps was a major cause of meningitis! Even today, measles kills 450,000 worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization.

We are currently experiencing the worst measles outbreak in the past 20 years, with the number of measles cases trebling in the past 11 weeks. Even more cases are expected in the early months of a new school term as more children mix together and spread this highly infectious virus. Why? Because they haven't been vaccinated at all or haven't received the full course of the vaccine. Only 74% of children have received the full vaccine course. Unfortunately, last year we witnessed the first death from measles since 1992, an event that could have prevented by the MMR vaccine.

Some parents have asked for single vaccines, but then your child will have to have six separate injections (as opposed to two) and will not be fully protected until the full course is finished. Nevertheless, the Government could have provided that option to concerned parents, rather than leave children totally unprotected.

In the USA, it's compulsory that children are fully vaccinated against all these infectious diseases before they enter school - we don't have this restriction in the UK. I think we should - I hate to think that any child in the UK today should suffer the serious consequences of these highly infectious diseases that really should be things of the past.

As the Department of Health said at the time of the public launch of the MMR vaccine in 1988: "Give your child something you never had - the MMR vaccine".


This content was created on Tue 18 September 2007

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