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 28 August 2008 06:17 BST

Labour will 'demand MMR jab prior to school admission'

Sunday, 11 May 2008 12:06
Proposal could see un-vaccinated children denied school admission, the Telegraph reports

Health In Focus 

A potentially controversial new proposal by the Labour party could see children denied admission to school unless they have a range of jabs including the MMR injection.

MMR - measles, mumps and rubella - has been at the under speculation for years regarding an alleged link between the jab and risk of autism; a link that has since been disproved.

But a new proposal, disclosed to the Telegraph and reported by the newspaper, could see the vaccination made compulsory if parents want their child to be able to begin primary school education.

According to the newspaper, the policy has been drawn up by the MP responsible for the next election's health manifesto, Mary Creagh.

But the British Medical Association's chairman, Dr Hamish Meldrum, said forcing parents to take such action is "morally and ethically dubious".

"A Stalinist approach like this would be likely to backfire on an unprecedented scale and to increase opposition to vaccinations," he was told the Telegraph.

The newspaper said Ms Craegh and her group have not decided on what type of penalty a parent would receive if they refused to go ahead with the immunisations.

But it is believed that if the proposals were to be fully implemented, some 100,000 children in England and Wales each year would be banned from starting school.

The NHS website about the MMR jab lists ten "myths" about the vaccination. These include "MMR causes autism and bowel disease" and "giving the MMR vaccines separately reduces the risk of side effects".
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