http://politics.guardian.co.uk/polls/story/0,11030,644809,00.html

Poll finds disapproval of Blair's stance over MMR vaccine

James Meikle, health correspondent
Monday February 4, 2002
The Guardian

Most Britons believe Tony Blair should say whether his 20-month-old son Leo has had the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, an opinion poll suggests today. NOP's survey of 1,000 adults finds that 55% want the prime minister to go public on Leo's treatment, and that 38% are dissatisfied with the government's handling of the crisis of confidence in the vaccine's safety. The poll also finds that 85% want the choice of separate single vaccines. The single measles jab is not offered on the NHS, although private clinics claim a big increase in demand. The poll, for Tonight with Trevor MacDonald on ITV1 tonight, will further frustrate ministers. There have been hints that Leo has had the MMR vaccine, and Downing Street did not deny a report on Saturday that the date had been January 22.

Mr Blair is determined to protect his family's privacy over the issue, while insisting he would not encourage others to do anything he thought was dangerous for his child. The government is standing by its advice that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective; its officials believe that to offer separate jabs now would suggest there was a problem with the combined vaccine.

Public health authorities are awaiting tests on 22 young children in south London, where three cases of measles have been confirmed; a larger outbreak in an area where take-up of the MMR vaccine is low would reinforce concerns that the illness was making a comeback. Andrew Wakefield is the doctor who first raised concerns that MMR was linked to bowel disorders and autism, and with John O'Leary, of Coombe women's hospital, Dublin, continues to seek proof for the theory. Prof O'Leary's study of 91 autistic children who had had the MMR jab suggested that three-quarters had a measles virus in their bowels. A BBC Panorama programme last night, however, suggested he had yet to prove the virus was the same as that which might be found in MMR.