The MMR vaccine is available under the primary childhood immunisation programme. The primary childhood immunisation programme provides for the immunisation of children against a range of potentially serious infectious diseases. Under the programme parents may have their children immunised free of charge by the general practitioner of their choice. The schedule of immunisation is in accordance with the recommendations of the immunisation advisory committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, RCPI.
There is no provision for children to receive separate measles, mumps or rubella vaccinations under this programme. Information provided by the Irish Medicines Board, which has responsibility for licensing all pharmaceutical products in Ireland, indicates that individual vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella are currently licensed in Ireland, however, only single dose rubella vaccine is marketed in Ireland.
There are sound public health reasons for not administering the MMR as separate vaccines. First, the scientific evidence does not support a link between MMR and autism or inflammatory bowel disease. There is no evidence that administering the three components of MMR as separate vaccines is safer. The immune system is well capable of responding to the small number of components in the MMR vaccine and there is no evidence that the component parts of the MMR vaccine interfere with each other. In any event, vaccines are designed to strengthen the immune system and not weaken it.
If the vaccines were to be given separately, this would also mean a child requiring a total of six injections to complete the course instead of two which could also mean an increased risk of local reactions at the injection site. The practical aspect of giving six injections would mean that children are unprotected for a greater period of time from these diseases and, therefore, at significantly greater risk of contracting these infections. The protracted time involved in administering the vaccines would result in the diseases in question circulating in the community for longer. Unprotected children would, therefore, be at greater risk of catching these infections. This would include younger children – that is, children below the age of 15 months – and children who are immuno-suppressed.
Most countries implement a two dose MMR vaccine programme and this policy has been very successful in controlling measles where high uptake of the vaccine has been achieved. My primary concern and that of my Department in relation to immunisation is that the vaccines in use are safe and effective.
