Against compulsory MMR vaccination and for looking after new mothers | Letters

Prof Arne Akbar, president of the British Society for Immunology, says compulsory vaccination is a blunt tool which could increase health inequities and alienate parents. PlusProf Helen Stokes-Lampard and others call for a funded postnatal medical appointment at six to eight weeks specifically to assess new mothers ’ physical and mental healthThe recent drop in childhood vaccination uptake is a cause of concern for all of us, as your article rightly points out (No MMR should mean no school place, say GPs, 9 September), with only 87.2% of children in England receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine by age five. However, the factors that have led to this are complex and multifactorial. In such a situation, which has the potential to significantly affect our nation ’s health, our policy decisions must be guided by evidence.Compulsory vaccination is a blunt tool and there is no current evidence that it would increase the UK ’s immunisation rate, but rather concerns that it could increase current health inequities and alienate parents with questions on vaccination. However, there are lots of other actions that the government can take to positively influence vaccine uptake, many of which were outlined in the No 10’s recent announcement, such as strengthening the role of local immunisation coordinators, promoting catch-up vaccinations and improving information provision on vaccination.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Health MMR Parents and parenting Postnatal depression Immunology Society Science NHS UK news Health policy Public services policy Politics Medical research Biochemistry and molecular biology Family Life and style Mental hea Source Type: news