UK: Compulsory vaccination wouldn't hurt

[Guest guest]

This guy is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land...It's a local government website,

btw.

http://www.lgcplus.com/Opinion/2009/04/compulsory_vaccination_wouldnt_hurt

html;jsessionid=328A1DBBC70680615F97479256375124

Compulsory vaccination wouldn't hurt

Published: 30 April 2009 01:11

Author: Waddicor, chief executive, Berkshire West PCT

Reader Responses

The outbreak of measles and mumps this year reminded me of some basic

medical principles, says Waddicor.

It is good to wash your hands as it helps stop the spread of infections.

Eating healthily builds our resistance to disease and speeds our recovery

from illness.

And immunisation has saved more lives than anything since the introduction

of clean water; dramatically reducing the impact of killers such as measles,

polio and influenza.

So when it comes to having children immunised, why are we so passive?

Vaccines protect children from needless death and disability.

Compare the reaction of our failure to protect children from the risks of

German measles (rubella), with that of the country to the death of Baby P.

People get their facts about vaccines from a variety of sources — from the

scientifically sound to downright quackery.

Fear of developing autism from the triple MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

vaccine was generated in the main by misguided and ill-informed views

pedalled by some in the media as proven truths.

The take-up of the vaccine dropped by as much as 25% in some areas and now

large urban centres such as London are experiencing their worst outbreak of

measles in decades.

Why do we leave it to individual choice to determine whether or not to be

inoculated?

Given the chaotic lifestyle of many families or the sheer lack of time

available to working parents, it is no wonder doctors find it difficult to

engage patients in immunisation programmes, especially in inner-city areas.

Even if the surgery manages to inoculate a child in time, the chance of

giving a follow-up injection or a booster dose is always much reduced.

The World Health Organisation recommends that immunisation cover should be

at 95% of the at-risk population.

Last year, four of every five primary care trusts achieved immunisation

levels of less than 90% for the MMR vaccine, even though it is a very

successful and effective method of protecting the population.

Countries such as France, the Czech Republic and the United States have

various forms of compulsory vaccination programmes. Is it time to consider

such a step in the UK?

There would be political objections to any element of forcing parents to

have their child vaccinated. But strong public support to ban smoking in

public places shows that views about compulsion in public health are

changing.

Local councils could boost immunisation rates among children by making it

part of the preparation for going to school.

Parents could be asked if their child has been immunised. If they haven't,

this could be done by the school nurse as a matter of routine when the child

visited their new school before enrolment.

It would fit very well with councils' duties under Every Child Matters. The

same principle could be extended to take in the new vaccine against cervical

cancer (HPV), which is being offered to schoolgirls.

Girls moving from Year 7 to Year 8 could be seen by the school nurse and

given the vaccine as part of the preparation for moving up the school: a bit

like end-of-year exams.

Local authorities have a good track record of improving the health of their

populations through better housing and sanitation. This could be the time to

extend it by weaving childhood immunisation into the process of schooling

and safeguarding.

Author: Waddicor, chief executive, Berkshire West PCT.