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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Times letters: Measles, myths and compulsory vaccination

The Times


Sir, Further to your report “UK will need compulsory jabs to stop measles, experts warn” (May 17), the state needs to proceed with care, as it did with the introduction of seat belts and the breathalyser. The government should make vaccinations compulsory only where there is an overwhelming groundswell of approval. In this enlightened age I would suggest that a more scientific approach would be to make proof of immunity (obtained by a simple blood test) mandatory before entering school.
Richard Primavesi, FRCP, FRCP(CH)

London W12

Sir, Clearly, none of the parents who deny the MMR vaccination to their children have suffered from measles. During the Second World War my mother nursed me through two weeks of a raging high fever, with periods of complete