Re: FN-FORUM: OT: BBC B - A Sad demise

date posted 12th May 2008 15:37

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=565661&in_page_id=1770&ito=1595

Now Labour plans to ban children from school unless they have an MMR jab
By REBECCA CAMBER - More by this author ť Last updated at 02:25am on 12th
May 2008

Comments (49)

Slump: Immunisation rates have fallen

Children could be banned from school if they have not had the MMR jab.

Under Labour plans, primary schools will have to demand proof from parents
that their children have had the triple vaccine before they are allowed to
register.

The proposal, drawn up by the MP in charge of the party's health manifesto
for the next election, has outraged doctors' leaders, who call it
"Stalinist" and counterproductive.

If approved, it could see almost 100,000 children barred each year from
schools in England and Wales based on current vaccination rates.

Last night the Tories accused Labour of playing politics with children's
lives, warning that such "authoritarianism" would alienate parents.

Under the scheme suggested by Mary Creagh, the head of Labour's manifesto
group on public health, parents would have to provide a certificate to prove
that their children had the full range of jabs against measles, mumps and
rubella.

Children under two would also be vaccinated each year against flu and have
additional jabs to protect against chicken pox and winter vomiting virus.

Schools currently do not have to ask parents if their child has had the MMR
jab and it is up to school nurses to check records.

But under the plans, parents would have to declare what jabs their toddler
had had.

Children who had missed vaccinations would be forced to attend a "catch-up"
session before schools starts.

Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children could face penalties.

In the U.S. parents are threatened with jail if their offspring are not
immunised.

Mrs Creagh will outline her plans this week in the Fabian Review, the
quarterly magazine of left-wing think-tank the Fabian Society.

In the magazine, the MP for Wakefield said: "We have vaccination rates as
low as 11 per cent in parts of London and cases of measles, mumps and
rubella are rising sharply.

"Labour should imitate the successful-U.S. model to ensure no lowincome
child was unvaccinated.

"There, children can only start school after proof of vaccination has been
supplied by parents - except on religious and medical grounds."

There has been a sharp decline in the take-up of the triple vaccine because
of fears that it could be linked to autism.

The research supporting this claim has since been debunked by leading
scientists but some parents have turned to expensive private clinics and had
the jabs done separaretly.

In such cases parents could have to provide the separate vaccination
certificates.

Mrs Creagh suggests expanding the NHS programme which already immunises
toddlers against MMR, diphtheria, whoopping cough, tetanus, polio,
meningitis and pneumonia.

Chairman of the British Medical Association, Dr Hamish Meldrum claims
forcing parents to have their children inoculated is "morally and ethically
dubious".

He said a "Stalinist approach" would backfire.

It is understood that the idea has not yet been discussed with the Prime
Minister and last night Labour insisted it had no plans for compulsory
vaccination.

Comments (49)
49 people have commented on this story so far. Tell us what you think below.

Here's a sample of the latest comments published. You can click view all to
read all comments that readers have sent in.

Well, one for more reason for us to home educate our son!

- Snets, Greater London

And? If you want to go to university you have to have had your school
leaver's booster. It's called stopping and hopefully eradicating horrible
diseases.

Thanks to this kind of policy, smallpox has been eradicated, so I don't see
the objection. The alleged research into the link between autism and the MMR
jab has long been proven to be rubbish.

- Anon., East Midlands

To the person who mentioned vaccinations in America , I believe they also
have a sub-station compensation fund in place over there that the
vaccination companies contribute to, to pay off those damaged by their
vaccinations. As it stands, those who are damaged here just have to get on
with it.

- Ali, Colchester , UK

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