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Why my child won't have the MMR jab

http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/comment/0,7894,427003,00.html

Peter Todd, a lawyer investigating the vaccination controversy, explains why he shares the concerns of his clients

Tuesday January 23, 2001

The government is to spend a further £3m on advertising the benefits of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. It hopes this will be enough to persuade people like me (father of nine-month-old Alexander) to have him vaccinated despite concerns of a possible link between MMR and bowel disorders and autism.
I have already seen Department of Health television advertisements for the vaccine which depict a baby left on the edge of a towering cliff. Is it a good thing to expose your baby to such risks, the ad asks.

Vaccination is a good thing and has undoubtedly saved millions of lives worldwide through the virtual eradication of smallpox, polio and many other serious and crippling illnesses. I am keen on vaccines: my son has already been immunised against diptheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, polio, HIB and meningitis C. On Thursday he will have the TB vaccine too.

However, when Alexander's invitation to attend the GP's surgery for the MMR vaccination drops through the letterbox in the next few months, he won't be going.

I first became involved in the MMR controversy in April 1998 when the firm of solicitors I work for in London, Hodge Jones & Allen, took over responsibility for investigating a group of potential cases.

Since then I have travelled the country meeting families who think their children have suffered because of the vaccine. I have taken statements, researched medical records and tried to analyse this issue. A handful of cases in the early days soon became a flood and we have been contacted by more than 2,000 families who linked the vaccine to the onset of their children's health problems.

I have heard many similar stories of an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth followed by normal development during the first year: the mastery of a few words, good eye contact, affectionate hugs, consideration of the feelings of others. It all seems fine.

Then the MMR vaccine at 12-15 months, followed within a few months of a noticeable change: loss of eye contact, regression of speech, the child retreating into "a world of their own" and the gradual onset of the terrible tragedy of autism. This entails a lifetime of care and support and catastrophic financial implications for the family. A ballpark estimate for the financial cost of a lifetime of care and loss of earnings could be £3m.

Many people argue that the signs of autism cannot be spotted before 12-15 months and that the only association with the vaccine is that they occur at around the same time. Perhaps, but if autism is congenital then why is normal development followed by regression? Andrew Wakefield - the doctor who originally raised concerns over the jab - could be right that the evidence is stacking up against MMR.

· Peter Todd is a partner at the law firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, which is representing families who say their children have suffered ill effects as a result of the MMR vaccine

Email
ptodd@hodge-jones-allen.co.uk

http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/comment/0,7894,427003,00.html

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