Martin urges parents to immunise children

The Minister for Health Mr Micheál Martin has this evening urged parents to immunise their children against measles, mumps and rubella.

His announcement came after calls today from Fine Gael’s health spokesman for urgent action to deal with the high risk of a measles epidemic among non-immunised children.

Following confirmation by the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) that poor uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was creating a "critical mass" of vulnerable children, Mr Gay Mitchell called on the Minister for a statement.

"The NDSC advises that vaccination rates should be in excess of 95 per cent but the average uptake in the in the State is now 70 per cent and as low as 60 per cent for measles, mumps and rubella in the eastern region," Mr Mitchell said.

In a statement Mr Martin said he was "concerned about the unsatisfactory primary immunisation uptake rates" and highlighted the health risks non-immunised children face.

He said "the outbreak of measles in 2000, which caused three deaths and over 1,500 cases, is evidence of what can happen when an insufficient proportion of the population has been immmunised".

NDSC director Dr Darina O’Flanagan said the fall in the number of vaccinated children to under 60 per cent in the Eastern Region Health Authority was a major cause of concern to the centre.

Dr O’Flanagan dismissed as baseless public fears of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. She pointed to research from the US, Britain, Sweden and Finland showing there was no connection. But public concern over the vaccine is the main reason for declining vaccine uptake figures, She said.

Implementing the MMR programme has also been hampered by difficulties in the payments systems for GPs, who are administering the vaccine.

Draft policies for controlling a measles outbreak in Ireland have been published by the NDSC and are available on the centre's website at www.ndsc.ie.