By Richard Sparham in the UK, Sunday Telegraph.


Parents will soon be "queuing up" for the MMR jab because unvaccinated children "will die from measles", a senior government medical adviser has told The Telegraph.

The scientist, a member of the 16-strong panel that advises ministers on vaccination policy, said that a measles scare similar to the anthrax panic in America would make people "come back to their common senses" over the vaccine, which has been linked to bowel disorders and autism.

If not, he said, measles would become a question of "the survival of the fittest", with children whose parents shun MMR on "crazy" safety grounds put at risk. Parents' groups reacted to the comments with anger last night, accusing government scientists of wanting children to die of measles to prove their point over MMR.

In a tape-recorded conversation with The Telegraph, the scientist, a member of the government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, insisted that he would speak only if he was not quoted by name.

He accepted that immunisation levels for measles had fallen dangerously low because of concerns over MMR but said that the solution was not to give way on single vaccines, as suggested by government scientists in Scotland.

"It's a terrible thing to say, but it seems that someone's child has got to die from measles before the public come back to their common senses again."

He said that, in a democracy, people have to be responsible for their choices. "Sadly what's going to happen is that some children will get serious measles . . . and some children will die.

"What I hope is that, when that happens, they'll be on the front page of the newspapers and parents will suddenly rally round and say: 'Oh please immunise my child.' "

He did not believe that a death from measles would reinforce opposition to the triple vaccine. "No, I think they'll be queuing up for it."

Questioned about whether the public's reaction to children dying from measles will really be to clamour for the MMR jab, the scientist said: "It's the survival of the fittest . . . survival of the fittest now is making sure that you get the right information and don't follow crazy things written on websites."

The adviser added that there was no scientific evidence to link MMR to bowel disease and autism and that the Government should therefore not countenance giving single jabs on the NHS to raise immunity levels.

The latest evidence shows that in some parts of the country measles immunisation levels have fallen to 65 per cent. The World Health Organisation recommends a general immunity level of 95 per cent to prevent outbreaks.

Several measles outbreaks occurred last month in south-east London, and a survey last week showed that increasing numbers of family doctors cannot persuade parents to accept MMR.

Jackie Fletcher, of Jabs, a parents' group, said that the adviser's comments were shocking. "They want a child to die of measles to prove a point. Parents are very angry that they are being denied a choice."