The measles outbreak we had to have...

[Guest guest]

BMJ 2008;336:729-730 (5 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39503.508484.80

(published 28 February 2008)

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/336/7647/729?etoc

Editorials

Improving uptake of MMR vaccine

Recognising and targeting differences between population groups are the

priorities

The first 150 words of the full text

<http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/336/7647/729> of this article

appear below.

Almost a decade since the original report suggesting a link between the

combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism or

inflammatory bowel disease, we now have overwhelming evidence to refute

such a link.1 Some people, however, still refuse to have their children

vaccinated for MMR, and sometimes replace the combined vaccine with

single antigen vaccines. In the accompanying study, Pearce and

colleagues report uptake of the combined MMR vaccine and single antigen

vaccines and they discuss the factors influencing uptake in a three year

follow-up of the UK millennium cohort.2

Low MMR vaccine coverage is not a trivial matter, because the

accumulation of unvaccinated children will increase the risk of measles

outbreaks. Confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales rose from 56

in 1998 to 971 in 2007 (figure ).3 In the United Kingdom, coverage for

MMR at 24 months is lower than for other vaccines (85% . . . [Full text

of this article <http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/336/7647/729> ]

McIntyre, director, Leask, research fellow

1 National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine

Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, NSW 2145,

Australia

M@...