Measles, Mumps, Rubella singles - are they safer?

[CuppaTeaJanice]

DS is due for his injections in the next few weeks so I'm trying to sort through the information (and misinformation!) on the internet before deciding what to do.

On many of the threads on mumsnet it seems that anyone who doesn't trust the MMR for any reason is choosing the single vaccinations on the assumption that they are the safe option.

Given that a. All vaccines carry a tiny risk, and singles require 3 times the number of injections as MMR, and b. A Japanese study found the levels of ASD rose significantly after government policy changed from giving MMR to singles (from an article in the New Scientist), I wondered why the single jabs are seen as a risk-free, if expensive, alternative to the MMR.

I'm hoping somebody might have some info on this - to be honest the whole subject is really scaring me.

Hello All
This is a specialist medical advise.
Please give your children the MMR jab soon.
It protects against major illnesses which have grave health effects.
Measles,Mumps and Rubella can cause multi-organ manifestations and complications,ranging from simple ear infection to more severe ones in form of meningitis and pancreatitis.
The jab has nothing to do with autism,that was only a coincidence.

Well thank goodness you showed up haltaiar with your specialist medical advice.

How about you get on to the 5000 families involved in the Omnibus Autism Proceedings in the US and let them know that they can pack up and go home now as it is all just a coincidence?

How about you get on to Bernadine Healy of the Institute of Medicine and tell her that despite her wealth of experience and specialist knowledge she is wrong, there is nothing more to examine?

Whilst you are at it get on to the internationally revered Cohrane Review and tell them that their official, government comissioned report on MMR/autism came to the wrong conclusion and that they should have concluded that it is all just a 'coincidence'.

Coincidence, pah, how I have come to dislike that word in this context. Huge red flag. Whenever I see it, to me, it reads 'lacking in common sense, scientific curiousity, empathy, much knowledge of subject under discussion, or possibly lying/trying to hide something/sweep something under the carpet, hugely irresponsible and offensive'.

It just makes people sound stupid (either because they actually believe it or because they think that others will believe it) when they say it (particularly if they are health care professionals or from the D of H).

[rant over]

Oh and since when was rubella a 'major illness' in children?

Vaccines can cause meningitis and pancreatitis too. Therein lies the problem haltaiar, this is actually quite a complex issue which is why thousands of clever people have spent thousands of research hours examining it.

I've asked our GP to look at doing an immunity test for ds2 as we think he had measles already. Gp was trying to tell me the MMR is safe but I just said I had misgivings despite knowing it's all discredited bla bla nonsense Wakefield bla bla etc. and would like him to find out. He said I would have to pay for the blood test and the MMR wouldn't hurt even if ds was already immune. I just said I know, but would rather do the singles than the MMR as I just don't want him to have it.

He had a few red flags for autism last year and I still wonder whether he is NT or not - and having read messages from people who believe their child was affected by the MMR on here, I don't want to risk it. Besides, no point vaccinating against something he already had - I'll just give him the mumps one if he's immune to measles.

If he's not, I'll think again as can't really afford all three singles.

The HPA swabs were 'inconclusive' ie one of them was positive, but they tried to say it was because of my antibodies as I was bfing.

Could have been I suppose.

I though singles were supposed to be given very spaced apart, as much as a year

Does anyone know when the current intense vaccination programme started?

I have no idea what my vaccination record was I was born in 69. That would be interesting to know but both my Parents are gone now.

I will do singles but spaced apart. I keep getting reminders for the MMR booster but we're not having it.

There's a lot of 'information' out there - and lots of strong feelings, too. Just wanted to add that although Rubella is a relatively mild disease, girls and boys are immunised to stop pregnant women getting the disease, because that does cause autism, no question, not to mention massive damage to the unborn child. The success rate of this is unquestionable.