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NEWS: Five-in-one Jab for Babies Approved
Ministers have insisted that plans for a new five-in-one vaccine are not born out of health fears.
The new jab will protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib and polio, and will not include the mercury preservative currently used in the four-in-one jab. A study in the US claimed that the whooping cough vaccine containing the metal is linked to autism, a conclusion disputed by the UK government.
“Immunisation is the best way to protect children from serious disease and the routine childhood programme has been extremely effective in achieving this,” said health minister John Hutton.
“The changes set out today will further improve the programme and benefit children.
“The polio component is safer than the previous oral vaccine and the switch to acellular pertussis will mean children are less likely to suffer from minor reactions such as swelling and redness.”
Despite claims from health officials that the new injection will be even safer than the jab currently used, campaigners have expressed fears that the combination of all five vaccines in one could overload babies’ immune systems.
“With five-in-one vaccines we would want to know what safety trials have taken place,” said Jackie Fletcher, founder of Justice, Awareness and Basic Support (Jabs).
“How did they find out it was safe to do it in this combination? Increasing the combinations increases the potential for an adverse reaction and restricts choice for parents, when the government said it wanted to improve choice.”
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley accused ministers of failing to learn the lessons from controversy surrounding MMR.
“It is not just that the vaccination programme must be safe and effective, we have to carry public confidence and that means better public consultation and independent appraisal of new vaccine arrangements,” he said.
While Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow welcomed the removal of the mercury, he said the science of the five-in-one jab had to be “sound”.
“Parents and the public must have confidence that all possible risks have been discounted before the new combined vaccine is put into use,” he said.
Babies over two months old will receive the new vaccination from September.
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