Vaccine update: japan bans mmr

The mumps portion of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine could bring on mumps, which could be transmitted to other children.

A two year old Japanese girl developed mumps shortly after being given the MMR vaccine. Nineteen days later, her nine year old sister developed mumps; the strain of the virus isolated in her was found to be identical to that contained in the vaccine. Japanese researchers reporting in The Lancet (7 August 1993) point to numerous other studies showing that the vaccine can bring on mumps.

This evidence was one reason for the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare's decision last April to discontinue the use of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

British families whose children were allegedly damaged by the whooping cough vaccine are seeking compensation in a new court case.

Jack Rabinowicz, chairman of the legal aid steering committee on whooping cough vaccine, characterized the cases, brought by 15 children, as "strong".

The new court case follows in the successful wake of the Irish case of Kenneth Best who was awarded £2.75 million in damages this year when judges ruled that he had been damaged by the combined diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus vaccine and that manufacturer Wellcome had not performed all necessary safety tests.

Intradermal or intramuscular hepatitis B vaccine may cause eosinophilia (increase in while blood cells, or leukocytes, which left untreated could result in inflammation of the sac around the heart or the brain, pooling of fluid, enlarged liver or breathing failure).

Japanese researchers from Kyushu University report on two cases of patients developing the disease after HB vaccination.