MMR Vaccine - Sweet Revenge?

Regular readers will recall my recent postings on the case of Dr Ben Goldacre's Bad Science blog's reviews of Jenni Barnett's recent LBC FM radio programme promoting widely-discredited research about a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, that has resulted in a massive decrease in the uptake of the MMR vaccine, that has resulted in a massive increase in measles cases amongst UK children (and, personal interest declared, directly threatens the life of my daughter). When he posted the programme, he was threatened by LBC lawyers with litigation for copyright abuse and was forced to withdraw the programme from his blog.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfork, tabled parliamentary Early Day Motion 754 motion objecting to sensationalist media coverage of this discredited research. It has now been signed by119 MPs and ranks as no. 34 of the 1161 EDMs put forward in the current parliamentary session. (As an aside it is interesting to note how many MPs from each party represented in parliament have signed this EDM).

Jeni Barnett's irresponsible journalism has now been widely published on the web both in audio and transcript form. LBC - are you going to sue us all?

Dr Ben Goldacre and MP Norman Lamb (who had never before met) responded to Jeni Barnett and LBC when they were interviewed by a major UK TV channel this week (youtube video here - and I don't imagine ITV will sue!).

EDM 754 - Response from the Secretary of State for Health

I wrote to the Secretary of State for Health requesting him to sign EDM 754 regarding uptake of the MMR vaccine and media coverage. Although parliamentary guidelines advise that cabinet members do not normally sign EDMs, the guidelines do not forbid them from doing so. Here is Alan Johnson's response ...

DE00000390297

Dear Mr Gascoigne,

Thank you for your email of 13 February to Alan Johnson about the Early Day Motion (EDM) 754 on the MMR vaccine. As I am sure you will appreciate, Mr Johnson receives a large volume of correspondence and it is not always possible for him to respond personally. Your email has been forwarded to me for reply.

The EDM supports the Government’s position that all children should be vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella. You ask why Alan Johnson, Ed Balls and Gordon Brown have not signed the EDM. It may be helpful if I explain that Ministers and whips do not normally sign EDMs. Further information on who can and cannot sign EDMs is available on the UK Parliament website at www.parliament.uk (type ‘EDM’ in the search bar and follow the links).

The scientific community has been convinced for a considerable time that there is no link between MMR and autism. Just recently, three US judges who are experts in vaccine claim hearings concluded that there is no association between vaccines and autism. The overwhelming weight of evidence shows that MMR is the safest way to protect against measles, mumps and rubella, and the number of studies demonstrating this is growing. A list of the key studies examining MMR can be found on the NHS immunisation information website www.immunisation.nhs.uk, by selecting ‘The Vaccines’, followed by ‘MMR’ and ‘Research timeline’.

The Department of Health’s most immediate concern is that cases of measles are on the rise due to poor vaccine uptake over the past decade. The Department has an MMR catch-up programme now in progress and have provided extra funding to Primary Care Trusts, as well as additional supplies of the vaccine.

The message that the Department is promoting is that MMR is the safest way to protect children against measles, and that it will also protect them against mumps and rubella. Furthermore, it will also help protect those children who cannot have vaccinations for medical reasons.

I hope this reply is helpful.

Your sincerely,

Deepa Shah

Customer Service Centre

Department of Health

EDM 754 - MMR vaccine and the Media

I am pleased to see the parliamentary webpage for EDM 754 MMR Vaccine and the Media has now been updated and that 65 MPs have now signed the motion including my own. For an EDM this is quite a respectable number.

See NHS Blog Doctor and Ben Goldacre's Bad Science for the background to this story.

Letter from Parliament

A staff member in my MP's office has written to tell me he will be signing EDM 754 regarding the MMR vaccine and the media.

Meanwhile on his website he writes:

"A couple of weeks ago I went to the open day organised by Care UK of the mobile CATS (Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services) units at the top of Yorkshire Street. These are five brand new shiny units costing several million pounds which will visit Rochdale four days every month to provide consultations and treatment not by the NHS but by private companies.

At about the same time I was being given information that hospital services at the Infirmary were under severe pressure. For example the Ambulance Service’s target of eight minutes for blue light emergencies was only being met in 60% of cases.

Staff at the Accident and Emergency during the same period were dealing with record numbers of patients – the highest of the four hospitals in Pennine Acute yet the government insist that Rochdale be downgraded to an Urgent Care Unit by 2012.

Similarly our maternity unit is due to close in 2012 yet in 2007 had a record number of births. Across Greater Manchester the Healthy Futures and Making it Better proposals are unravelling even before they are fully implemented.

Would the millions spent on giving private health companies lucrative contacts be better spent on improving our local hospital? In a reply to a letter I sent to the Health Minister Ann Keen dismissed those concerns saying “the performance of Rochdale A&E of 96.8% remains high but does need to improve”. Try saying that to those staff giving 110% in A&E? - how pompous and out of touch!

The operation of the Choose and Book system is another issue which was taken up in debate by my colleague Andrew Stunell MP for Hazel Grove. This is a system which is supposed to enable patients to choose their Consultant and hospital for an outpatient clinic. However despite assurances given during the Healthy Futures Consultation it is virtually impossible to get an appointment at Rochdale Infirmary because the consultants are refusing to hold clinics there. Andrew quoted the experience of one Rochdale resident. "

Couldn't agree more.