Measles cases have reached a 13-year high prompting fears of a new epidemic.

Measles cases reach a 13-year-high prompting epidemic fears
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"In 2008 there were 1,348 cases of measles in England and Wales, an increase of more than a third on the 990 the previous year.

The number of cases, which are predominantly in children under 18, is the highest since the current method of data collecting was introduced in 1995 and the figures were described as "very worrying" by experts.

This is the result of low uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for the last decade.

Despite research linking the MMR jab to bowel disorders and autism having been debunked and uptake of the vaccine increasing for toddlers, groups of older children who were not immunised remain.

These children are now at school age where it is easier to spread infections and measles is circulating freely.

Catch-up campaigns have been launched to offer the vaccine to children up to the age of 18 but this has yet to have an effect on measles cases.

Dr Mary Ramsay, an immunisation expert at the Health Protection Agency, said: "The year on year increase of measles across England and Wales is very worrying. Last year saw the highest number of cases since the current method of monitoring the disease was introduced in 1995.

"What is so alarming is that the majority of these cases could have been prevented as most were in children who were not fully protected with MMR.

"There are still many children out there who were not vaccinated as toddlers over the past decade and remain unprotected. Unfortunately this means that measles, which is highly infectious, is spreading easily among these unvaccinated children."

The cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, has been linked to many cases of serious adverse reactions, including several deaths.

Cervical cancer drug Gardasil linked to deaths

Extract from Telegraph article:

"Fears have been raised over the safety of a cervical cancer vaccine which health officials plan to give all 12-year-old girls, after it was revealed that the drug has been linked to several deaths.

Three young women are reported to have died days after the drug Gardasil was administered, while the jab is also suspected of triggering "adverse reactions" in 1,700 patients. The figures were uncovered by campaigners who made a freedom of information request in the US, where the vaccine was approved for use a year ago.

Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, which extracted the data, said: "Reports on the vaccine read like a catalogue of horrors."

The women – aged 12, 19 and 22 – suffered heart attacks or blood clots after being injected with Gardasil, which protects against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus which causes most cases of cervical cancer. Hundreds of others reported suffering what could be adverse reactions, including paralysis, seizures and miscarriages.

The news comes just days after the announcement that the drug would be added to the childhood immunisation programme."