Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 5

Written Answers. - Vaccination Programme.

Finian McGrath

Ceist:

347 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding MMR and the incidence of bowel disease; and if he is satisfied regarding the use of the compound mercury and the health implications of using this compound. [14533/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

MMR vaccine is available under the primary childhood immunisation programme. The 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 a sound evidence basis for use of MMR in the national programme. Since the original publication of UK research from Wakefield about a possible causal link between MMR vaccine and autism, many researchers have investigated the proposed causal relationship and concluded that there is no link between MMR vaccine and autism or inflammatory bowel disease. My Department's submission to the relevant Oireachtas committee contains further details on the scientific evidence in this regard. In Ireland, this issue has been examined by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland immunisation committee and the Irish Medicines Board. The conclusions are that there is no evidence to support the association between MMR vaccines and the development of autism or inflammatory bowel disease and the vaccine is safer than giving the three component vaccines separately. The Oireachtas committee has also endorsed the safety of the MMR vaccine.

The international consensus from professional bodies and international organisations is that the MMR is a safe and effective vaccine. The institutions include the Medical Research Council expert committee and the British committee on safety of medicines in the UK, the centres for disease control and prevention and the American Academy of Paediatrics in the USA, as well as the World Health Organisation. Studies by the United States Institute of Medicine concluded that there is no link between the vaccine and autism or inflammatory bowel disease. A large Finnish study, involving 1.8 million individuals, demonstrated that no case of inflammatory bowel disease or autism was linked to the MMR vaccine. A recent UK study where researchers analysed 2,000 studies from 180 countries found no evidence of a causal link between MMR vaccine and autism or inflammatory bowel disease. The World Health Organisation, WHO, strongly endorses the use of MMR vaccine on the grounds of its convincing record of safety and efficacy. This view is supported by the Irish Medicines Board and by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

The Irish Medicines Board, IMB, is responsible for the monitoring and safety of all pharmaceutical products in Ireland. The monitoring of safety is ensured through clinical trials prior to licence and post-licence surveillance by the IMB. The IMB liaises closely with international bodies including the European Medicines Evaluation Agency and the World Health Organisation. Information provided by the IMB indicates that there is no thiomersal in either of the two licensed MMR vaccines on the Irish market and therefore there are no health implications in this regard.

I take this opportunity to urge all parents to have their children immunised against the diseases covered by the childhood immunisation programme. This is in order to ensure that both children and the population generally have maximum protection against the disease concerned. General practitioners are aware of the contra-indications to the recommended childhood immunisations and parents should discuss any concerns they may have with their general practitioner before making a decision about their child's immunisation.