Parents have again been urged to vaccinate their children against measles, mumps and rubella following a 6 percentage point drop in vaccination levels last year.
Figures being placed on the National Disease Surveillance Centre's website today will show that 73 per cent of children under the age of two had received the MMR vaccine in 2001, compared with 79 per cent in 2000. Vaccination levels need to be at 95 per cent in order to prevent an outbreak.
Ms Mary Cronin, the centre's public health specialist, said the figures were "alarming and very worrying".
The only positive finding was that the decrease in vaccination levels was not as marked in the last three months of the year as in previous quarters, she said. Last year the MMR vaccination rate was lowest in the Eastern Region Health Authority, at 66 per cent, and highest in the South Eastern Health Board at 87 per cent.
Vaccination levels for diphther- ia, tetanus, polio and Hib also fell by 2 per cent to 84 per cent. These levels should also be at 95 per cent for so-called "herd immunity".
The centre has again warned parents of the dangers of a measles outbreak. The risk of death from measles is much higher for children under one year of age as they are too young for the vaccine and can only be protected by a high vaccine uptake by the rest of the population.
The centre again rejected the alleged link between the vaccine and the onset of autism and said a number of studies had failed to demonstrate the link. However, it recommended a small number of children should not be given the MMR vaccine.
They included: children with a severe immune deficiency or on treatment which suppressed their immune system, children with certain cancers and children who have had an anaphylactic reaction to a previous MMR dose or to one of its ingredients. GPs should be consulted in these cases.
The Department of Health has also urged parents to vaccinate their children against these diseases. A spokesman said the outbreak of measles in 2000, when three children died, was evidence of what could happen when immunisation rates fell. He advised parents worried about possible side-effects for certain children to discuss their concerns with their GPs.
