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Written question asked by Countess of Mar (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Darzi of Denham (Labour) on Monday, 17 March 2008.

Health: MMR Vaccine

Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many adverse reactions to measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have been reported by parents and medical professionals since their introduction; and how many of those reported adverse reactions included bowel problems.
Answer

As of 6 March 2008 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 7,785 suspected UK adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports associated with MMR vaccine, measles and rubella vaccine and single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Of these 7,785 ADR reports, 20 reports contained a reaction related to inflammatory bowel problems. The following table shows a breakdown of these reports. Number of suspected ADR reports with reactions related to inflammatory bowel problems associated with MMR vaccine, measles and rubella vaccine and single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines up to 6 March 2008:

Reaction Term (PT) Number of suspected ADR reports received
Anal Inflammation 1
Colitis 1
Colitis Ulcerative 2
Crohn's Disease 9
Enteritis 3
Inflammatory Bowel Disease 4
Total: 20

It is important to note that a report of an ADR does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the vaccine. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and any underlying disease.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
2371; 700 c8WA
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Rubella Vaccination Side effects MMR vaccine Measles Mumps Gastrointestinal system
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk