London - The British government has urged parents not to be put off having their children immunised with the MMR vaccine after new research suggested a possible link between it and autism.
Fears over the vaccine - a single dose vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella - were raised yesterday following the publication of research by doctors at the Royal Free Hospital, London, into a link between autism and a newly identified bowel disease found in some children after having the MMR vaccination.
The head of the research team, Dr Andrew Wakefield, claimed that until further research was done to determine whether there is a link between the disease and the MMR vaccine, the injection should be given in three separate doses spaced by at least one year.
A spokesman for the Department of Health in London said: "After looking at all the evidence from expert committees and GPs in the field, our advice remains to have your child immunised."