MMR jab could slash severe asthma attacks: Hospital admissions for life-threatening episodes are 27% lower in vaccinated youngsters
- Potentially life-threatening asthma attacks 27% lower in vaccinated children
- Study in Denmark found jab slashed number of kids who develop asthma by 10%
- More than 5m people have asthma in UK and the condition kills three each day
The MMR jab given to thousands of children every year could slash severe asthma attacks by more than a quarter, a study shows.
Hospital admissions for potentially life-threatening asthma episodes were 27 per cent lower in vaccinated youngsters than those not given the jab.
The vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, also reduces the number of children who develop asthma in the first place by about 10 per cent, researchers found.
The MMR jab could slash asthma attacks by 27 per cent and prevent one in ten children ever developing the condition, research suggests
A team of experts at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, in one of the biggest studies of its kind, analysed data from more than 300,000 children born between 1999 and 2006.
They looked at how many youngsters went on to develop asthma and compared the results with whether they’d been immunised against measles.
The findings, in the International Journal of Epidemiology, showed the vaccine appeared to reduce overall asthma rates by about 10 per cent and the number of cases of severe asthma that resulted in emergency hospital treatment by 27 per cent.
However, the benefits were only seen in boys and not girls – a result scientists are at a loss to explain.
Researchers admit they do not yet know why the jab seems to have a protective effect for the lungs.
However, some previous studies have suggested catching measles itself can reduce the chances of getting asthma.
Since the MMR vaccine contains a small amount of the live measles virus, it is possible it is mimicking the effects of the disease itself.
In a report on the findings researchers said: ‘Live vaccines may have beneficial effects.
‘The MMR vaccine may have a protective effect against asthma for boys.’
Measles vaccination rates in the UK have fallen in recent years, partly driven by anti-vaccination propaganda on social media.
Unicef estimates more than half-a-million children in Britain went unvaccinated against measles between 2010 and 2017.
Vaccination rates among five-year-olds have fallen to just 87 per cent – well below the 95 per cent the World Health Organisation says is vital to prevent outbreaks.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned recently he was willing to look at ‘all options’ to boost childhood vaccination levels, including making jabs compulsory for school attendance.
Previous investigations into the MMR jab’s links with asthma have been inconclusive.
Some have suggested it may actually increase the risk, while others have found the opposite.
Asthma affects more than 5million people in the UK – and around three people a day die from the disease around the country.
A controversial 1995 study by disgraced British researcher Dr Andrew Wakefield claimed the MMR jab was linked with an increased risk of autism.
The research was later found to be flawed and Wakefield was struck off by the General Medical Council.
A recent investigation confirmed no link between the inoculation and autism after scientists analysed data on more than 650,000 children given the jab.