Mothers refusing to vaccinate children are helping to bring deadly diseases back to the West as hostility to science puts the developed world at risk, according to the world’s leading immunisation chief.
Coverage against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) is higher in Zambia and Vietnam than in Britain.
Meanwhile 35 died after Italy and Romania have suffered measles outbreaks due to a drop in vaccine uptake.
Dr Andrew Wakefield, who sparked a vaccine controversy in Britain, with wife Carmel and supporters of the anti-MMR movement
The outbreak led to thousands of cases, with 17 recorded in Wales this year.
Complacency threatens the future of forms of protection that saved millions of lives, says Seth Berkley, chief executive of vaccine alliance Gavi, told The Times.
The World Health Organisation, governments and drugmakers founded Gavi to give poor countries access to vaccines.
But Dr Berkley is increasingly worried about progress reversing in the developed world.
Discredited former doctor Andrew Wakefield caused panic after falsely claiming the MMR jab causes autism and his followers are experiencing a resurgence in the US.
Dr Berkley said Britain needs to be alert to its vaccination rates slipping, as MMR coverage has fallen from 92.7 per cent in 2013-14 to 91.9 per cent in the latest available figures.
Doctor Andrew Wakefield hugging Josh Edwards, a 17-year-old with autism. The doctor and his supporters believe the condition is caused by jabs
‘If it’s less than 90-95 per cent you do have susceptibility build up, and then you have outbreaks,’ he said.
‘It does worry me when I start seeing outbreaks in developed countries. That shouldn’t happen.
‘Are developed countries moving away from vaccines? Yes, and one of the reasons is we don’t see the diseases any more.
‘People think they aren’t relevant. They’re not seeing people die from these diseases.
‘The second thing that has happened is the experts don’t have the same credibility.’
Andrew Wakefield sparked concerns by suggesting that vaccines could cause autism
The anti-vaccine movement was given support by celebrities including actor Robert De Niro and former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy.
Dr Berkley said middle-class ‘Whole Foods mums’ were also adding to the problem.
‘We’re really in trouble when a Playboy bunny has the same authority as the American Academy of Paediatrics,’ he said.
‘The problem is that we equate the expert with some of the denialists.
‘It’s the Whole Foods mums; you’re trying to be organic, you’re trying to do the right thing for your kids and all of a sudden you’re like ‘well, do I need to inject these things? Is it really a risk?
Former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy was among celebrities who gave support to the anti-vaccine movement
‘My children are fully vaccinated and I would consider myself to not be a good parent if I didn’t do that. How do we get that mentality?’
He said people who think measles is relatively harmless should consider complications that can ‘turn your brain into liquid’.
”I don’t care what hospital you’re in or how rich you are, that happens to you, you are dead,’ he said.
‘The issue is the average kid does get better if he’s well-nourished, but occasionally people die and also the disease spreads and the kid who’s just had cancer treatment and is immunosuppressed [is in danger].’
Dr Berkley said a British drop in vaccine coverage for diptheria, tetanus and meningitis C was evidence MMR scepticism had ‘bled to other vaccines’.
But health bosses believe administrative disruption caused the dip, rather than anti-vaccine sentiment.
They pledged to boost coverage through campaigns and 2016-17 figures will be released on Wednesday.
Public Health England’s head of immunisation, Mary Ramsay, said: ‘We are working closely with the NHS and with staff in general practice, where most vaccinations are delivered, to improve uptake.’