• Topic
• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Deciding not to give my child MMR >> Deciding not to give my child MMR

Deciding not to give my child MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Deciding to give my child MMR >> Deciding to give my child MMR

Deciding to give my child MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Mild or intermediate reactions to MMR >> Mild or intermediate reactions to MMR

Mild or Intermediate Reactions to MMR

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Mild or intermediate reactions to MMR >> Mild or intermediate reactions to MMR

Mild or Intermediate Reactions to MMR

• Clip
• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 24 >> Learning that MMR had been used in other countries for many years eased her concerns about the long-term side effects.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from her son's Paediatrician. Information from a television documentary had an influence. Discussion with other mums of premature babies helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 20 >> Believe the diseases can have unpleasant symptoms and dangerous complications but feel that the government tries to frighten people in to taking up th

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. For MMR: They followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. Reactions that their second son had to MMR, an extensive review of research papers in medical journals, and using the Internet to read about both pro and anti immunisation arguments helped them to make their decisions for their youngest son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 24 >> Learning that MMR had been used in America and worldwide helped her to reach a decision.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from her son's Paediatrician. Information from a television documentary had an influence. Discussion with other mums of premature babies helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 03 >> Believes the risk of the diseases far outweighs the risk from the MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of health professionals. She used the Internet to gather information on MMR, particularly from a parenting web site and talked to her Mum, which helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 09 >> She had taught children with autism and believed that the MMR vaccine had nothing to do with autism.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from their GP. Talked to friends and her grandmother who could remember childhood illnesses before immunisation. She regarded media reports as largely biased and scaremongering.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 37 >> The scientific basis of the research study was dubious and had conflicts of interest.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of the health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media, and talked to friends who were doctors. His own experience of working with children with learning difficulties informed their decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 41 >> There is no convincing evidence to suggest that MMR is not safe.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in Public Health informed her decisions about immunisations. She believed much of the information from the media to be inaccurate and biased.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 06 >> She was amazed that to find that so much fuss had been made over just one research study.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Talking to other parents whose child had MMR and using the Internet to gather information on both sides of the argument helped her to make a decision about her daughter's MMR immunisation.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 27 >> She decided against single vaccines because it would take longer for her sons to acquire immunity from the diseases and there was measles and mumps go

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to health visitor but found it more useful to talk to other parents, including one who had a relative who was a doctor. Read newspaper articles and listened to media reports.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 01 >> She considered single vaccines but was glad she hadn't chosen them when there was a measles outbreak in her daughter's nursery.

For DTP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of health professionals. Reading newspapers and magazine articles, talking to their GP, a private doctor and to friends helped her to make her decision about MMR.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 39 >> Where they lived a lot of parents didn't immunise, so they decided in favour of MMR because of the increased risk of their daughter coming into contac

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations from health professionals. For MMR: Read the leaflet given to them by their general practice and searched the Internet for information. Considered information in the media to be sensationalised. Talking to friends who had children was helpful.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 09 >> Feels very glad she had given her daughters MMR and feels relieved that her children are protected and she no longer has to worry.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from their GP. Talked to friends and her grandmother who could remember childhood illnesses before immunisation. She regarded media reports as largely biased and scaremongering.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 28 >> She no longer has to worry about her daughter catching measles, mumps or rubella when she goes to nursery or to the park.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to friends, her father who is a doctor, family friends who were doctors, and alternative practitioners. Gathered some information from the media. Talked to their GP about her daughter's egg allergy.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 12 >> They personally believed their son's lactose intolerance problems would put him at greater risk of a reaction if he had the MMR or single vaccines.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for their son. For MMR and immunisations for their daughter: Conducted an extensive review of the literature and scientific studies using the Internet and talked to their GP and health visitor.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 08 >> Her concerns about what reaction her son might have from MMR was stopping her from taking him to have the vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Read information recommended by relatives which was both pro and anti immunisation, read NHS information leaflets, talked to her GP and to friends.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 20 >> They had a personal belief that MMR triggered autism in their older son and they decided not to give any immunisations to their youngest son.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. For MMR: They followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. Reactions that their second son had to MMR, an extensive review of research papers in medical journals, and using the Internet to read about both pro and anti immunisation arguments helped them to make their decisions for their youngest son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 10 >> Her concerns that live vaccines were given with MMR, influenced her decision not to give her children any immunisations.

For DTP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for her first child. For further immunisations: Read leaflets given to her by her homeopath, read books and talked to her health visitor and GP. Gathered some information from the media but was aware that it may be biased to a specific perspective.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 12 >> They are personally certain that not giving MMR to their lactose intolerant children was the right decision.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for their son. For MMR and immunisations for their daughter: Conducted an extensive review of the literature and scientific studies using the Internet and talked to their GP and health visitor.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 31 >> Having been very worried while making their decision, her son's MMR vaccine had been a bit of a non-event.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to her GP and to her hospital consultant. Read information in newspapers and on the Internet. Talked to friends and investigated single vaccines. A friend in the USA helped her to make a final decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 11 >> Describes her five-year-old daughter as happy and healthy and not affected at all by her MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 24 >> Her son had a mild rash a few days after his MMR vaccine, it disappeared within twenty-four hours.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from her son's Paediatrician. Information from a television documentary had an influence. Discussion with other mums of premature babies helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 38 >> Her daughter was very irritable after her MMR vaccine but she returned to normal after twelve to fourteen days.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of the health professionals. MMR decisions: Talked to their health visitor and a paediatrician and searched for information using the Internet, talked to friends in the USA, read articles in the media but it was talking to a health professional at Great Ormond Street that helped her to make her decision for both her children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 04 >> Her daughter had been a little under the weather for a few days after her MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR she talked to the health visitor and GP, listened to media reports and trusted the decision that her boss had made about immunisation.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 13 >> Her son had an unusually strong local reaction to the second dose of the MMR vaccine, which is a rare occurrence.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. After her daughter had a reaction to the MMR vaccine, she talked to her health visitor to make a decision about her youngest son's immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 29 >> Her son was agitated and started having petit mal epilepsy after his MMR vaccine and was diagnosed with viral encephalitis.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Reactions that their first son had to MMR influenced their decisions for their other children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 29 >> Describes the health problems her son continued to develop after viral encephalitis was diagnosed when he was thirteen months old.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Reactions that their first son had to MMR influenced their decisions for their other children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 20 >> Explain why they believe the changes in their son's behaviour were triggered by the MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. For MMR: They followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. Reactions that their second son had to MMR, an extensive review of research papers in medical journals, and using the Internet to read about both pro and anti immunisation arguments helped them to make their decisions for their youngest son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 43 >> He thought that the research suggesting a link between MMR and autism was not convincing enough to make him believe that his son's autism could have b

For all immunisations: His medical training helped him to make immunisation decisions for his children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 08 >> Making the decision about her son's MMR has been the hardest decision she has had to make as a parent.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Read information recommended by relatives which was both pro and anti immunisation, read NHS information leaflets, talked to her GP and to friends.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 11 >> After much anxiety, the information their GP told them helped them to make up their minds about MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 25 >> Recognise that the MMR decision is a difficult one for many parents.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to friends who were doctors. Used the Internet to search for information. Were influenced by the prime minister's response to questioning about immunisation decisions for his son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 28 >> Believed the evidence wasn't strong enough to prove a causal link between MMR and autism.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to friends, her father who is a doctor, family friends who were doctors, and alternative practitioners. Gathered some information from the media. Talked to their GP about her daughter's egg allergy.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 36 >> Believed that what will be, will be.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in a Child Health department helped her to make her decisions. Her midwife talked to her and gave her information leaflets, which also helped.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 27 >> Her son who had an egg allergy had no reaction to his MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to health visitor but found it more useful to talk to other parents, including one who had a relative who was a doctor. Read newspaper articles and listened to media reports.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 20 >> Describe the changes in their son from the time that he had the MMR vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. For MMR: They followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. Reactions that their second son had to MMR, an extensive review of research papers in medical journals, and using the Internet to read about both pro and anti immunisation arguments helped them to make their decisions for their youngest son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 11 >> Her daughter's health problems improved after she had MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 09 >> The MMR vaccine had no effect on her daughter who had eczema.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from their GP. Talked to friends and her grandmother who could remember childhood illnesses before immunisation. She regarded media reports as largely biased and scaremongering.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 22 >> Her son had no reaction to the MMR vaccine.

For all immunisations: Her medical training helped her to make immunisation decisions for her son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 38 >> She trusted a specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of the health professionals. MMR decisions: Talked to their health visitor and a paediatrician and searched for information using the Internet, talked to friends in the USA, read articles in the media but it was talking to a health professional at Great Ormond Street that helped her to make her decision for both her children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 36 >> Her daughter didn't have any reaction after her MMR vaccine.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in a Child Health department helped her to make her decisions. Her midwife talked to her and gave her information leaflets, which also helped.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 26 >> Talks about their difficulty in getting the doctors to explain the reasons for his daughter's symptoms.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Believed media only presented one side of the argument.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 24 >> Explains how they made a joint decision for their premature son's MMR immunisation.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from her son's Paediatrician. Information from a television documentary had an influence. Discussion with other mums of premature babies helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 04 >> She was influenced by the decision her boss made for her own children.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR she talked to the health visitor and GP, listened to media reports and trusted the decision that her boss had made about immunisation.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Interview 42 >> A paediatrician talks about why we immunise babies and young children.

A consultant paediatrician talks about immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 01 >> She talked to three or four different doctors before deciding to give her daughter MMR.

For DTP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of health professionals. Reading newspapers and magazine articles, talking to their GP, a private doctor and to friends helped her to make her decision about MMR.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 31 >> Decided it was a safer gamble to give her son the MMR vaccine than to not have him immunised.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to her GP and to her hospital consultant. Read information in newspapers and on the Internet. Talked to friends and investigated single vaccines. A friend in the USA helped her to make a final decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 06 >> Thought there was not sufficient evidence to not give her daughter MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Talking to other parents whose child had MMR and using the Internet to gather information on both sides of the argument helped her to make a decision about her daughter's MMR immunisation.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 41 >> Believes the media misrepresented the level of risk associated with MMR.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in Public Health informed her decisions about immunisations. She believed much of the information from the media to be inaccurate and biased.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 28 >> She talked to a lot of people and gathered a lot of information before making a decision to give her daughter MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to friends, her father who is a doctor, family friends who were doctors, and alternative practitioners. Gathered some information from the media. Talked to their GP about her daughter's egg allergy.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 41 >> Media reports of health studies often misinterpret the level of risk.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in Public Health informed her decisions about immunisations. She believed much of the information from the media to be inaccurate and biased.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 40 >> It is easier to make the decision now than two years ago, now more evidence is available.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Information in the media influenced her decision. For MMR: Talking with friends who had children was helpful. Gathered information from the newspapers and the Internet.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 07 >> Making the decision wasn't difficult for her because she had lived in Africa and had seen what the diseases can be like.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in Africa where she saw the illnesses that the vaccines prevent, influenced her decision. For MMR, she also listened to a radio programme, which discussed both sides of the argument.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 41 >> She didn't think for too long about MMR because she believed the benefits of immunisation outweighed the small risks of a side effect.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in Public Health informed her decisions about immunisations. She believed much of the information from the media to be inaccurate and biased.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 39 >> After learning more about MMR and the latest thoughts surrounding the vaccine, they felt able to make a decision to immunise their daughter.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations from health professionals. For MMR: Read the leaflet given to them by their general practice and searched the Internet for information. Considered information in the media to be sensationalised. Talking to friends who had children was helpful.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 31 >> Talking to a friend in America helped her to make a final decision.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to her GP and to her hospital consultant. Read information in newspapers and on the Internet. Talked to friends and investigated single vaccines. A friend in the USA helped her to make a final decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 38 >> Information given to her from a health professional was very important in helping her to decide to give her daughter MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of the health professionals. MMR decisions: Talked to their health visitor and a paediatrician and searched for information using the Internet, talked to friends in the USA, read articles in the media but it was talking to a health professional at Great Ormond Street that helped her to make her decision for both her children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 03 >> MMR was talked about amongst her friends but often led to a heated debate so she didn't get involved in discussions.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of health professionals. She used the Internet to gather information on MMR, particularly from a parenting web site and talked to her Mum, which helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 35 >> Some Internet websites may not give the right amount of information and all the information available about the likelihood of side effects occurring f

For all immunisations: Her medical training and her experience of growing up in a third world country helped her to make decisions about her daughter's immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 30 >> If you have concerns about MMR, get some expert advice.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations from health visitor. Experience of her daughter's immunisations influenced her immunisation decisions for her son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 36 >> Didn't believe MMR caused autism and believed immunisations could protect her child from infectious diseases.

For all immunisations: Her experience of working in a Child Health department helped her to make her decisions. Her midwife talked to her and gave her information leaflets, which also helped.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 11 >> She trusted her GP who was also a friend.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 22 >> Believed the risk of the diseases and complications of the disease to be a greater risk than the very small risk associated with the vaccines.

For all immunisations: Her medical training helped her to make immunisation decisions for her son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 26 >> Explains the changes in their daughter at the time she had her MMR vaccine.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Believed media only presented one side of the argument.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age under 1 >> Interview 06 >> Believed the Government would not back an immunisation programme that was unsafe.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Talking to other parents whose child had MMR and using the Internet to gather information on both sides of the argument helped her to make a decision about her daughter's MMR immunisation.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 26 >> Would have preferred the doctor not to have dismissed out of hand his concern that his daughter might have had a serious reaction to MMR.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. Believed media only presented one side of the argument.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 13 >> She would have liked the health visitor to take her concerns about possible reactions to MMR seriously.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. After her daughter had a reaction to the MMR vaccine, she talked to her health visitor to make a decision about her youngest son's immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 12 >> Parents need to weigh up the risk of potential side effects of the immunisation versus the risk of their child catching the disease or having complica

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for their son. For MMR and immunisations for their daughter: Conducted an extensive review of the literature and scientific studies using the Internet and talked to their GP and health visitor.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 35 >> Believed the risk of the diseases and complications of the disease to be a greater risk than the very small risk associated with the vaccines.

For all immunisations: Her medical training and her experience of growing up in a third world country helped her to make decisions about her daughter's immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 12 >> Feels more comfortable with the risk that her children may catch measles than immunising against it.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for their son. For MMR and immunisations for their daughter: Conducted an extensive review of the literature and scientific studies using the Internet and talked to their GP and health visitor.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 32 >> She checked with her health visitor but felt confident there was no need to be concerned about MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Didn't feel the need to search widely for information but talked to her health visitor and read information in the media before making her decisions.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 33 >> She had concerns about autism but after reading an independent research review she decided that MMR was the right decision for her son.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: She read an independent literature review published in a Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin on studies examining the link between autism and MMR, which helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 31 >> They were concerned that their child might be disabled in some way from MMR, which they didn't feel able to cope with because she is in a wheelchair.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to her GP and to her hospital consultant. Read information in newspapers and on the Internet. Talked to friends and investigated single vaccines. A friend in the USA helped her to make a final decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 38 >> Learning that MMR had been used in other countries for many years eased her concerns about there being a link between autism and MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed the recommendations of the health professionals. MMR decisions: Talked to their health visitor and a paediatrician and searched for information using the Internet, talked to friends in the USA, read articles in the media but it was talking to a health professional at Great Ormond Street that helped her to make her decision for both her children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 16 >> She was reassured when her health visitor told her that the symptoms of autism tend to appear around the same age that MMR is given.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Found it useful to talk to their health visitor, other parents who had already had their child immunised and to their extended family. Read information in parenting magazines, a parenting web site and newspaper articles.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 24 >> She was concerned that her premature baby's immune system may not be developed enough, so she waited a bit longer before she gave him MMR.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Took advice from her son's Paediatrician. Information from a television documentary had an influence. Discussion with other mums of premature babies helped her to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 5 years plus >> Interview 11 >> She was anxious that her daughter's bowel problems and weak immune system may get worse with MMR but this did not happen.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Gathered information from the media and talked to other mums at playgroup and to their health visitor. Advice from their GP helped them to make a decision.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 27 >> Concern that her son's egg allergy might cause a reaction, led him to have the MMR vaccine in hospital.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Talked to health visitor but found it more useful to talk to other parents, including one who had a relative who was a doctor. Read newspaper articles and listened to media reports.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 29 >> She felt too frightened to give her other children MMR because of the reaction her oldest son had.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR: Reactions that their first son had to MMR influenced their decisions for their other children.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 1-2 years >> Interview 20 >> They believed MMR triggered autism in their older son and were concerned about the safety of the vaccine.

For DTaP/IPV/Hib: Followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. For MMR: They followed recommendations of health professionals for two eldest boys. Reactions that their second son had to MMR, an extensive review of research papers in medical journals, and using the Internet to read about both pro and anti immunisation arguments helped them to make their decisions for their youngest son.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Youngest child's age 3-4 years >> Interview 13 >> She was concerned that swelling which had occurred in her daughter's arm after MMR, might happen with her son.

For all immunisations: Followed recommendations of health professionals. After her daughter had a reaction to the MMR vaccine, she talked to her health visitor to make a decision about her youngest son's immunisations.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Parents' concerns about MMR >> Parents' concerns about MMR

Parent's concerns about MMR

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Severe or disputed reactions to MMR >> Severe or disputed reactions to MMR

Severe and Disputed Reactions to MMR

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Deciding to give my child MMR >> Deciding to give my child MMR

Deciding to give my child MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Deciding not to give my child MMR >> Deciding not to give my child MMR

Deciding not to give my child MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> No reactions to MMR >> No reactions to MMR

No Reaction to MMR

• Condition
• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Immunisation

Publication date: January 2006              Last updated: June 2011

Next review: June 2013

 

Childhood immunisation is available against a wide range of diseases. We interviewed 45 parents about their experiences of immunising their children. Select from the key topics below, choose from the full list of topics, or explore all the interviews.

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> No reactions to MMR >> No reactions to MMR

No Reaction to MMR

• Pregnancy & children >> Immunisation >> Severe or disputed reactions to MMR >> Severe or disputed reactions to MMR

Severe and Disputed Reactions to MMR