DANGEROUS LEGACY OF VACCINE MYTHS

++ One in three admit children have missed jabs ++ The most common reasons? Thinking they’re not important – or safe

ONE in three parents say their children have missed at least one potentially lifesaving jab, a Daily Mail poll reveals today.

In a sign that ‘anti-vaxx’ myths may be hindering takeup, many cited concerns about safety and side-effects.

A total of 30 per cent of parents surveyed said their children had missed one or more routine jabs including MMR, flu or meningitis. One in four claimed the reason for missing the appointment was ‘safety concerns’ about vaccines.

A quarter of parents surveyed said they were often exposed to anti-vaxx messages on social media sites.

The findings of the poll – conducted by ComRes on behalf of the Mail – come amid plummeting childhood vaccination rates.

Last month this newspaper launched a major campaign to boost uptake, particularly for the MMR jab for measles, mumps and rubella.

The number of children receiving both doses of the MMR is at its lowest in seven years at a time when measles and mumps rates are surging.

Among the 1,083 parents who took part in the poll, one in ten said their child had missed at least one MMR vaccine.

A total of 27 per cent said their children had not had their annual flu jab on one or more occasion. Children are meant to have the flu vaccine every year from the ages of two to 11, mainly so they don’t spread the virus to the elderly and other high-risk individuals.

Of those who had missed a jab, 25 per cent of parents blamed ‘concerns over vaccine safety’ and 17 per cent cited worries about ‘long-term side effects’.

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of the NHS, warned last night that vaccine rejection was a ‘ticking public health time bomb’.

He said: ‘This is going to lead to killer conditions like measles becoming health hazards again and risking the safety of children, their families and our whole society.’

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘These figures are disheartening and show we are on an uphill struggle to convince some parents about the benefits of vaccinating their children – social media must take a lot of responsibility for this. The dangerous myths and untruths being peddled by anti-vaxxers to anxious parents are causing untold damage and the whole of society will suffer the consequences.’

Liam Sollis, of the children’s charity Unicef, said: ‘These results reinforce the need for improving access to vaccine services and the importance of ensuring credible and trustworthy information is readily available for parents.’

Of the adults whose children had missed at least one jab, 19 per cent said the reason was because they believed ‘natural immunity is better than immunity acquired through vaccination’. This is a misplaced claim frequently pedalled by antivaxxers on social media, as well as by some homeopaths.

Some 11 per cent of parents said their children had missed a jab because they could not get a convenient GP appointment, while 8 per cent simply forgot.

A further 25 per cent claimed they did not believe vaccines were important and 7 per cent said they avoided them for religious reasons.

Among all adults who responded to the survey, 26 per cent said they were often exposed to anti-vaccine messages on social media, including 30 per cent of mothers. Another 17 per cent said other parents had confided in them about their concerns about vaccines, possibly influencing their own judgment.

Last month the head of the NHS, Simon Stevens, warned the school gates were a ‘breeding ground’ for anti-vaccine myths that may ‘infect parents’ judgment’.

An investigation by this newspaper has also exposed how homeopaths were preying on parents’ fears about vaccines and spreading false claims.

We exposed how two homeopaths had published a children’s bedtime story pedalling anti-vaxx myths, which was being sold by the retail giant Amazon.

This newspaper is calling on the Government to launch a national awareness campaign on the urgency of jabs to counter these false assertions. We also want the NHS to introduce text message reminders to alert parents to appointments.

Health officials said they would launch a consultation with a view to introducing such a scheme.

The Mail wants to reverse the downward trend in vaccination rates and hit the 95 per cent target. This figure ensures ‘herd immunity’ and with so many of the population protected, the virus dies out.

But NHS figures show only 86 per cent of children have had both doses of the MMR jab. Uptake for vaccines for whooping cough, polio, tetanus and meningitis have been falling steadily since 2012/13.

Health officials are particularly worried about the flu virus this winter as projections from Australia – which acts as a bellwether for the UK – suggest it will be severe.

THE desire to protect a beloved child comes to almost every parent as naturally as breathing fresh air.

But it’s easy to understand why a worryingly large minority refuse to immunise their sons and daughters against life-threatening diseases such as measles and mumps.

Far too often, their heads are turned by the ‘antivaxx’ lobby’s pernicious lies.

A Mail survey reveals a shocking one in three parents admit their child has missed at least one jab. Of those, a quarter were concerned about vaccine safety – even though the infections they prevent can cause brain damage, deafness and death.

Disabusing adults of these dangerous myths is a major strand of our campaign to boost immunisation uptake. What’s at stake? Their children’s precious health.