Nursery World - 'Fund research, not advertising'

A leading autism charity has criticised the Government for spending 3m on an immunisation advertising campaign instead of furthering research into the safety of the MMR vaccine. The National Autistic Society, which supports the immunisation programme, called for the Government to carry out 'as a matter of great urgency' research into the safety of the MMRtriple vaccine, which some studies have linked with autism in children. It made its comments last week following a Government announcement of a national advertising campaign to persuade parents to have their children vaccinated.

The National Autistic Society, which supports the immunisation programme, called for the Government to carry out 'as a matter of great urgency' research into the safety of the MMRtriple vaccine, which some studies have linked with autism in children. It made its comments last week following a Government announcement of a national advertising campaign to persuade parents to have their children vaccinated.

The four-week campaign begins this month with television advertisements, 20-minute information videos and leaflets. However, the NAS said that rather than address parents' concerns over a possible link between the triple vaccine and autism, the campaign would 'only serve to patronise parents and raise their suspicions'.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included