Vaccines should be compulsory for all children starting school

Children should only be allowed to start school if they have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, a leading public health expert has said as measles cases in the UK hit a record high.

[efoods]Sir Sandy Macara, former chairman of the British Medical Association, will tell doctors later this month that a vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella – known as the MMR jab – should be compulsory for all children starting school.

His comments come as the Welsh health minister revealed she is exploring whether to make the vaccination compulsory for school and nursery entry.

Edwina Hart said she was prepared to “explore further the options” for a compulsory childhood vaccination policy as Wales experiences its largest outbreak of measles since the MMR vaccine was introduced 20 years ago, with 253 cases so far.

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This article was posted: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 12:55 pm

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