§ Mr. ArbuthnotTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study to replicate the clinical studies carried out by Dr. Wakefield into autistic children with inflamed bowel disease and the possible link with the MMR vaccination. [152015]
§ Yvette CooperWe have ensured that Dr. Wakefield's hypothesis suggesting an association between measles, measles vaccine, measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, inflammatory bowel disease and autism has been thoroughly looked at. Rigorous scrutiny by the Department and a number of independent expert advisory groups has concluded that the evidence does not support any such association.
The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM), an independent expert committee, set up a Working Party on MMR vaccine in 1998 to review the suggested link between MMR and MR (Measles/Rubella) vaccines and autism and inflammatory bowel disease. This Working Party conducted a detailed review of reports from parents of suspected side effects in children vaccinated with MMR or MR vaccine, received by the Medicines Control Agency via a firm of solicitors. The Working Party 373W reported in June 1999 and concluded that, despite the difficulty of coming to absolute conclusions on the basis of the information they had,
The available information did riot support the suggested causal associations or give cause for concern about the safety of MMR or MR vaccines".Independent researchers have already tried to replicate or confirm Dr. Wakefield's findings regarding epidemiology, virology or links between MMR, autism and bowel disease, but they have been unable to do so.
The Government's independent expert advisory committees—the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the CSM—have reviewed the evidence as it has emerged. Their view remains that, on the scientific evidence available, there is no causal link between MMR vaccine and long-term health problems such as bowel disease or autism. This view is supported by the World Health Organisation which recognises MMR as being a
highly effective vaccine which has such an outstanding safety record".The Government will continue to ensure this subject is carefully reviewed by independent experts and any new evidence looked at. The evidence shows that MMR remains the safest way for parents to protect their children against these potentially very serious diseases.