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Five in one jab is launched in surgeries

GP surgeries across the country have begun receiving the combined five in one childhood immunisation.

The first vaccines were sent out today, Monday 27th August, and will be rolled out across the country over the next few weeks after it was announced last month that the diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib jab, plus oral polio vaccine, would be replaced by the combination jab.

Amid concerns from parents and health lobbies, experts have said that the new immunisation would not overload a baby's immunie system.

Dr David Salisbury, head of immunisations at the Department of Health, dismissed concerns over the five-in-one jab, which is made by Aventis Pasteur under the brand name Pediacel, saying, "We will actually be giving children far fewer ingredients, not more, so all the mumblings that have been going on about overloading the immune system are the wrong way round.

"That is even if you believe the immune system can be overloaded. This isn't a real risk anyway."

The new vaccine does not use the preservative thiomersal which has been linked to autism, despite health experts disputing this due to lack of evidence. They say the only reason that the preservative has been removed from the new vaccine is because it reduces the effect of the new version polio vaccine. Previous polio drops could, in very rare cases, cause paralytic polio because the drops were 'live'. The polio immunisation in the new five in one jab does not carry this risk because it has been inactivated.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said, "Immunisation is the best way to protect children from serious disease and the routine childhood programme has been extremely effective in achieving this.

"The changes set out today will further improve the programme and benefit children.

"There will also be new vaccines for pre-school and teenage immunisation boosters."

Last week immunisation statistics showed another fall in the uptake of the controversial MMR jab with 80 per cent of children below the age of 2 having had the vaccine in 2003-2004 compared with 82 per cent in the previous year.

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