MMR Jab - Is it safe?

[woolsh]

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone would recommend the MMR Jab.
Our 14 month old son is due this injection. We have had conflicting info on this; our GP saying all previous concerns have been ruled out by research. While family are advising us to have separate jabs. The NHS as a whole say it is safe.
We don't mind paying is the 3 separate jabs are safer.
Would the NHS opiion be biased?
What does everyone think?
Many thanks

Hi there

This is a topic which has been discussed a LOT on this forum - try looking under the Vaccinations topic in Health and you'll find any amount of information on it.

HTH

Of course the NHS opinion is biased. The only harm in the three separate jabs is it takes a tad longer to get the immunity.

The MMR is safe for MOST children. Whether or not it is safe for YOUR child is a matter of great debate.

I think single is the safe option. But this statement is sure to be met with vehement opposition.

I think the mumps vaccination is out of stock in alot of places at the moment, something else to consider.

Don't go there - on here. Just google it. One of the most emotive topics ever!

I think the risk of serious complications from measles is much more likely than the risk of serious complications from the vaccination so for me that was the deciding factor.

but as AtheneNoctua says there are a samll number of children for whom it won't be safe and it's all about deciding whether or not you will take that risk.

and yes, I agree that you should do your research and make up your mind based on that rather than listening to your GP or your family.

I never go on these threads so am going to post this then duck out but very good reading in Ben Goldacre's book on MMR

Please base your decision on fact rather than anecdotal evidence.

I feel the MMR is safer than the unlicensed singles
There is no evidence to show that the singles are either safe or effective.

And that is exactly why they ought to be licensed, and not a reason to discredit them.

We see a private paed and he said all his kids had the MMR togther. he said dont waste your money have it on the NHS it is perfectly safe!

My dd had the MMR jabs privately as we use a private paediatrician in the Portland Hospital. He strongly recommended the MMR jabs and we discussed safety at lenght. My understanding is no jab (not just MMR) is 100% safe however the diseases against which you vaccinate can have horrendous consequences if you are unlucky. We were also advised that for an older baby, who has had several jabs, to always give Calpol half a hour in advance (same applies to children and adults). The reason is that there body tends to respond a lot stronger and hence greater risk of developing fever/pain etc. I did feel nervous about her having the jabs (we also had additional ones, like for chickenpox as our paediatrician follows what he refers to as the 'American approach'), have not had any side effects and at least I can rest assured that we have protected her as well as possible. I feel quite different about the swine flu jab though given what seems a very rushed approach to introduce it without proper testing (at least in the UK).

I remember reading a magazine interview with a lady who had 6 autistic children, all of whom had had the MMR jab. Her eldest who had not had the MMR jab was not autistic. Unfortunately you can't find out if your child is susceptible until too late.
It also seems strange to me that the govt pay out vaccine damages to children who suffer after-effects if the jab is as completely harmless as claimed. It also seems morally wrong to pay GP's on the basis of no of children jabbed, so they are hardly impartial on the subject.

If you can afford the singles then eliminate the very minute possibility of nasty side effects of MMR by opting for single jabs.
However, as it's been said before, MMR is totally safe for a vast majority of children....

Sooty, well said regarding Wakefield. It's the sensationalist reporting that whipped up a frenzy of bona fide witch hunt by armies of ignoramuses...

No need to buy Ben Goldacre's book, read his thoughts (and very sensible ones, too) here

There's nothing wrong with having the single jabs. Except for the time delay between getting the first and the last jab leaves your ds open to whichever he disease he hasn't been immunised against. Also, it is far more likely that you would miss (one of the three) appointments due to being away, not feeling well on the day etc. all this leaves your ds unprotected for longer.

Really no danger in having the MMR either, gemmiegoatlegs

coveredinsnot, that's not true

I really wish people would try to understand something. Look, can you imagine if I told you dairy and gluten triggered autism? Can you imagine the Daily Mail headline?
'Bread Causes Autism' and the reverberation around the country as bread and milk sales dropped, cows went out of business, etc.

But actually, there is growing and accepted research that dairy and gluten can trigger autism in children with leaky guts. Specialists have no problem advising these children to avoid gluten and dairy. But to view milk and bread as dangerous and child damaging is laughable. Large scale epidemiological studies could not possibly prove bread or milk causes autism. Why can't people see that MMR is the same? Safe for the vast majority, but more research needed for a very small percentage of the population.