MMR News and Research

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Fear stops some parents vaccinating their children

A new study has found that the majority of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children do so out of fear that the vaccine will cause more harm than the disease it prevents.

4 May 2005

Hereditary colorectal cancer risk lowered in those without certain gene defect

Families with a certain type of hereditary colorectal cancer have a reduced cancer risk if they do not have a gene defect found in many with this type of cancer risk, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

26 Apr 2005

Mumps jabs may run out in Ireland

GPs in Northern Ireland are warning that following a mumps outbreak among teenagers and young adults, supplies of the MMR vaccine in Northern Ireland could be running out. Family doctors have been asked to return any unused supplies so these can be re-distributed.

12 Apr 2005

Protection against 12 different communicable diseases available for infants and toddlers

In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week (April 24, 2005 through April 30, 2005), the Nassau County Department of Health urges all parents to ensure that their infants and toddlers are fully protected from the following vaccine preventable diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza (meningitis), varicella (chickenpox), pneumococcal disease and influenza.

12 Apr 2005

Rubella no threat in U.S.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ,speaking at the National Immunization Conference Washington, DC, says the rubella virus, a major cause of serious birth defects such as deafness and blindness, also known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is no longer considered to be a major public health threat in the United States.

21 Mar 2005

Openness and communication between experts and the public is key to winning the war over MMR

In 1998, MMR vaccinations in the United Kingdom reached 92% of its targets. Yet by 2002, after claims of a possible relation between MMR and autism, the United Kingdom lost considerable ground. One of the lowest levels of coverage of MMR is now found in London, at around 75%.

13 Mar 2005

Autism and MMR, no link found

Fears that the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella could cause autism were first raised in 1998 by a gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, his research has been largely discredited. and any lingering doubt of a link between autism and MMR has been completely dispelled by a new study that found withdrawing the vaccine did nothing to slow the rise in children diagnosed with the condition.

3 Mar 2005

Patent issued for generating genetically evolved mammalian cells through the regulation of mismatch repair

Morphotek announced today the issuance of United States Patent 6,825,038 covering the regulation of mismatch repair (MMR), a powerful process for generating functional diversity in mammalian cells, to yield sibs exhibiting desirable phenotypes for target discovery, drug screening and/or product development.

13 Dec 2004

Mumps cases amongst young adults continue to increase

Following a continued increase in cases of mumps amongst teenagers and young adults in recent years, the Health Protection Agency’s local teams have been working with schools and universities where outbreaks have taken place, to ensure that students are vaccinated.

4 Nov 2004

UK measles cases at relatively low levels

So far this year, numbers of measles cases are still at relatively low levels; there were 150 confirmed cases in the first half of 2004 compared with 296 cases in the same period in 2003.

4 Oct 2004

Evidence that measles-mumps-rubella immunisation is not associated with autism

A UK study published in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provides further evidence that measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunisation is not associated with the development of autism or other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) in children.

9 Sep 2004

Autism antibodies are not genetically determined, as parents do not exhibit them

Autism produces a widespread range of antibodies that act against brain tissue and one protein in particular seems to be the major target of these antibodies claim a group of scientists in the July issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

23 Jul 2004

UK launch of The Institute of Medical Law

The University of Birmingham is continuing to lead the way in international research into medical-legal issues such as MMR, euthanasia and drug regulation with the launch of The Institute of Medical Law.

29 Jun 2004

Reliability of medical research in Britain today questioned by the general public

Doctors, patients and the general public depend on results of scientific research to provide information about the safety and effectiveness of medical treatments. Following the controversy surrounding the Andrew Wakefield study on the link between MMR vaccines and autism, the public is now considering the reliability of medical research in Britain today.

2 Jun 2004

Report rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism

A pivotal report issued today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism. The findings, based on reviews of current scientific evidence, are a significant affirmation of vaccine safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

19 May 2004

New figures suggest Scotland is in the middle of a mumps epidemic

New figures raise public fears of a mumps epidemic by showing there were 370 confirmed cases of mumps in the first four months of 2001. This figure is almost an 800% increase on the total of recorded mumps cases for the whole of 2003.

3 May 2004