Ken FoxeIreland’s efforts to combat the spread of measles were compromised by rampant misinformation that had spread around a link between the vaccine and autism, according to a submission for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. In documents urging a “catch-up” programme for the MMR vaccine, officials said that nearly one in five males in the 18-to-19-year-old age bracket were “non-immune”. The submission said the huge gap in immunity against measles was likely down to “misinformation regarding the MMR vaccine which falsely implicated it with a risk of autism”. Of the 47 confirmed cases, 21 were in males, 24 in females, with no gender recorded in two cases. Asked about the submission for Minister Donnelly, the Department of Health said they had no further statement to make.

Source: The Herald June 06, 2024 14:54 UTC