Explaining MMRIt's not easy being a parent at the best of times, but in recent years scare stories in the media over the MMR vaccine have made it even harder. Just how best do you protect your child - with, or without, a vaccination? Sarah Kilby investigates.
Rarely a day goes by without some alarming study or worrying trend about the side effects off the MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine featuring in the news. What was once a straightforward decision to have your children protected against potentially fatal childhood diseases now appears to be fraught with risk. Despite there being no conclusive evidence linking to the MMR vaccine with either Crohn's disease or autism, such is the strength of media coverage that parents are still fearful. Large numbers are ignoring official reassurances and refusing to have their children vaccinated, so that vaccine coverage levels have dropped from the required 95 per cent to 'critical levels' of 88 per cent and lower in some areas. And recently, increasing numbers of parents, unimpressed by a £3m government publicity campaign, are seeking the alternative of single jabs. Where to next?
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