Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

uhoh...vaccinations

28 replies

bluetop · 15/03/2008 04:11

Help! I am going mad trying to decide - reading scare stories on both sides...I suppose its up to me though isn't it? I have to make a decision and take a risk for my baby - its horrible. He is 15 months now though - I have waited this long. Perhaps I will never decide, which is of course a decision. I just can't bear the thought of deciding to allow a needle to be put into him, and then he changes forever...when right now he is so healthy. But I heard that measles is coming back in the UK in areas where people have stopped immunising?
Oh God....help! Will I ever find an answer?

OP posts:
yurt1 · 16/03/2008 09:51

And this is really interesting. I've just had a look at the dept of health info on mumps. Anyway they actually state it's a mild disease etc, rarely causes complication, infertility extremely rare. They state that the vaccine is 95% effective ()based on a 1999 paper) but note that later papers (they lost a 2004 one) found it to be not as effective (they don't give efficacy though)

However on Pulse ('the UK's leading medical journal' according to their blurb- read by 80% of GPs) I found this from 2005:

"27 May 05

A 'substantial' proportion of mumps cases are occurring among children who have received a single dose of the MMR vaccine, Health Protection Agency scientists report.

The HPA is warning GPs to ensure all at-risk patients receive both doses of the vaccine after its study suggested a single dose was insufficient to provide protection.

The HPA researchers, who presented their data at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases conference in Valencia last week, suggested 'the efficacy of the mumps component of MMR needs further investigation'.

The study reviewed cases of mumps in 2004, when 47 per cent occurred among people aged 15 to 19, who had received or were eligible for a single dose of MMR.

Researchers used immunological modelling to estimate a 'high proportion' of them were weak positives, meaning they had received the vaccine but had low levels of antibodies.

Dr David Elliman, consultant in community child health at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: 'As this paper suggests, perhaps the protection against mumps is not as good as we had thought.'

Dr George Kassianos, RCGP immunisation spokesperson and a GP in Bracknell, Berkshire, said the rate of seroconversion to the mumps component 'may be much lower than we have thought in the past ­ a second dose of the MMR vaccine is even more important'."

This is important because of the risks of pushing mumps into an older age group (because the vaccine doesn't work as well or for as long as estimated during the very short trials) and thus making it a more dangerous disease.

yurt1 · 16/03/2008 09:52

And of course no-one actually knows yet how long two doses lasts.

Mazzletov · 29/03/2008 12:37

I may be too late to be of use or interest with this post but I understand that the problem with both measles and mumps is not the disease ITSELF but the COMPLICATIONS that can arise from having the disease. I'm no medic so I don't understand this exactly, but I am told that complications following Mumps is THE major cause of deafness in children.

I'm sharing bluetop's dilemma, DD is 14 weeks and we're stalling the surgery who keeps sending us appointments for her first round of jabs. All the discussion seems to be about MMR, does anyone have advice on the first lot (whooping cough - which I believe was banned in other countries? - Hib, pneumococcal, tetanus, polio, Diphtheria ETC ETC??!! )

Would be so grateful for a READING LIST, will get the Halvorsen book but appreciate other suggestions - thanks.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page