Info re lack of single mumps vaccine and link to petition

[crokky]

I received a letter from the private clinic that I am using to get single MMR jabs for my DS (3) and my DD (1) today and it had information which I thought would be useful and interesting to put on MN.

Merck (huge vaccine manufacturer) will not be resuming production of their single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. Measles and rubella are in plentiful supply elsewhere, but mumps is not so now it is impossible to phone anywhere in the UK and get your child a single mumps vaccine, although you can have the others.

Now the dilemma parents are facing is to have the combined MMR or to have just measles and rubella. I believe the government has engineered this scenerio to increase uptake of the combined vaccine by worrying people that their child cannot be protected from mumps unless they get the combined jab. The reason Merck is not producing these single vaccines is political interference.

My personal situation is that my DS (3) has ASD, which is quite mild. His autism was not caused by MMR, his autism comes from my family. However, I believe that it would be the wrong thing for me to do to get him the combined MMR jab given my family history and his existing condition. My views on the MMR jab are that it is totally safe for the vast majority of children, but there is a small minority for whom the vaccine is dangerous. I think it is reasonable to consider that my DS could be one of those children, although in many cases where parents have vaccine damaged children, there was nothing in the child's medical history to indicate that he/she would be susceptable to damage from the MMR vaccine.

I think that it is terrible that the government have effectively asked/forced/bribed vaccine producers to limit the supply of single vaccines in an effort to "persuade" parents like me to have MMR for our children. I have linked to a petition which my clinic told me about. It is on the official government website and the purpose is to petition the PM to maintain the right for our children to have single vaccines.

petitions.number10.gov.uk/Single-vaccines/

I apologise to anyone who considers my post offensive. I have tried to be polite in putting across my opinion and I know not everybody shares that opinion.

Have to go to get DS now, so hope people find this useful.

Crokky this seems to be affecting a lot of people at the moment. A good time to post this.

I'm just thinking it would be good to know why you suspect the government is involved as atm it just seems like a case of 'they might be' iyswim. Your case would be better supported if you explained why this is.

I am totally on your side btw - I only want ds2 to have the mumps vaccination as he already had measles. (we think) And it looks like we can't get it.

Plus my GP is totally pro MMR and refuses to help me sort out any kind of immunity testing or alternative option.

Juillet - I believe the government is involved in the supply problem because that is what the woman at my clinic told me directly (I went there last week to get my 3yo DS his measles booster). Also, on the petition website (which presumably the goverment could shut down if it was untrue - it is the government's own website after all), it says:

"Singles vaccines are obtainable privately but providers have difficulties in obtaining supplies due to unclear regulations and political interference."

It does not look like the government is even denying interference.

I don't know any more about the politics of the issue, my personal interest is simply to get my DCs a single mumps vaccine. My DS's autism is very mild and he is doing brilliantly in a mainstream school - he fits in academically and socially at the moment - I honestly belive giving him MMR could destroy his life.

The problem you are experiencing is the other thing I really dislike about MMR - there are loads of people for whatever reason who need one of these jabs only and the NHS will not accomodate this and even worse, you can't even pay for it privately.

believe, whoops!

thanks Crokky, I hope they listen...it's awful feeling like you can't even get a decent conversation about it with a GP - every time I've contacted the practice it's like nobody's allowed to talk about it, very hush hush and 'why exactly do you not want the MMR?'

It's seriously weird which in turn gives me higher misgivings about going along with the programme iyswim. It's as though they have an embargo on any discussion at all.

I think GPs are advised not to discuss it. The "party line" is that MMR is recommended by the NHS and that it is safe. There is no more to it as far as they are concerned. It is almost like talking to a robot because health professionals have been programmed with the answer to all MMR questions.

My personal view is that the powers that be know that MMR is safe for the vast majority of children and they have taken the decision to push MMR because the truth is very simple (although extremely unpalatable!)...it is this...

-the children who are damaged by MMR have been knowingly sacrificed in order for the whole process to be more effective in terms of the overall health of the nation and the overall cost. for those children and their families. The investment of more time and money to prevent this is not worthwhile in the eyes of the government.

Merck (I think they're an American company) have posted on their website....
?Monovalent vaccines no longer available for measles, mumps, rubella -
Based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practises (ACIP), professional societies, scientific leaders, and customers, Merck has decided not to resume production of ATTENUVAX® (Measles Virus Vaccine Live), MUMPSVAX® (Mumps Virus Vaccine Live), and MERUVAX®II (Rubella Virus Vaccine Live)??

And this letter to explain their decision

I don't know if they can be made to manufacture something and they have exclusive international rights of the strain they use in the MMR and single - so it doesn't look likely to change.
Although, they do cite customer demand among their reasons, maybe they'd reconsider if people would pay enough.

Hi Guys, like yourselves my daughter needs a single mumps booster vaccination but has not received it and now dh2uk have gone into liquidation. I have spoken with my local surgery who will only say they can give her a booster on MMR. Obviously I have concerns about this, how could this potentially affect her when she has already had the other vaccinations and the booster?! Also on a statistical basis, what are the chances of complications. For example NHS Direct quote 43,000 getting mumps. How many approximately of them would get complications?

Not quite sure what to do for the best so would really appreciate any advice.

I've just found out the statistical info, but just wondering as she has already had an initial vaccination, would she have some immunity still anyway?

I like some of you have two boys who are due their mumps booster and I am loathe to give them the MMR now as I made my decision to go for the single jabs when they were 13 months old.

I have just spoken to a clinic who said that another pharmaceutical company has produced the single mumps vaccine and it went in for testing in december. An outcome should be reached from March onwards. I am going to await the outcome for this vaccine and hopefully be able to complete my sons vaccination programme. I think it is disgusting of the government to halt single vaccine production what happened to parents choice! I haven't been irresponsible I have tried to vaccinate my children fully but am now hamperered by politics!!! having two boys also I am worried about the possible complications they could have from catching mumps! I hope they received lifelong immunity from their first jab but not sure this would be the case?

My 5 year old son is in the same situation. We have paid for him to have single jabs and it is the Mumps booster that is still outstanding too. DH2 have gone bust and when i speak to my gp clinic, all that's suggested is the MMR booster, totally contradicting what we originally chose single jabs for. The politics is shocking and what's happened to parental choice? My dillema is whether to just get the jab or to wait and see. Are there any health professionals out there who could let me know if his current immunity will be enough? I've read the comment someone has added about Mumps being a mild disease in the past. I remember this, and people who had it at school-it was just classed like Chicken Pox. What's changed? Why the current scare? Please help me with this frustrating decision.

The World Health Organization advises against using separate vaccines because they would leave children at risk for no benefit. No other country in the world recommends that children should be immunised against measles, mumps and rubella in three separate vaccines twice over.

Choice is important but the NHS cannot offer a choice of single vaccines that would put children at risk.

Mumps can result in permanent deafness, viral meningitis and encephalitis.

It was considered more than a 'harmless' childhood illness pre MMR as there was a single vaccine in place. It was the cause of 1200 hospital admissions each year in England and Wales (Galbraith et al 1984 Mumps surveillance in E&W 1962-81). It was probably considered less harmful than measles.
Would suggest money rather than politics have more influence on whether a company decides to continue with the manufacture of a single vaccine.

I'm confused - are merck evil for producing vaccines or evil for not producing vaccines? or have they suddenly gone from being 'evil big pharma' only interested in profit and having the government in their pocket to a poor company, struggling to provide it's faithful customers with a vaccine only to be crushed by a wicked and all powerful government?

conspiracy theories crack me up, particularly when people hold two mutually incompatible ones at once, whilst simultaneously being taken for a very expensive ride by a doctor making a quick buck from selling them something they can get for free on the NHS, namely immunity for their children from measles, mumps and rubella. though I suppose going back on the original decision to go for single vaccines will make you feel a but silly for pointlessly forking out hundreds of pounds in the first place, won't it?