Dr Martin Abbas

• I WRITE in praise of the New Journal and sincerely hope the paper receives a well deserved “Oscar”, (Camden New Journal shortlisted for newspaper of the year award, April 11).

However the most recent headline (Parents warned that lives are at risk as MMR jab take-up slides, April 11) is scare-mongering in the extreme.

Dr Martin Abbas mentioned that Camden is one of the lowest uptakes of the MMR. Might this not be that the parents in Camden are better informed of risk / benefits of vaccination?

Looking objectively at vaccination it is never mentioned that death from measles had declined to virtually zero by 1960, eight years before measles vaccination was introduced in 1968.

Years ago childhood infections which were thought to stimulate immune response and were protective of more serious illnesses. This idea has been kicked into the long grass.

What vaccination has done is to make catching these infections in adulthood far more serious.

As a retired nurse, like Dr Abbas, I followed the NHS / NICE recommendations, but not any more, as there is too much evidence of some serious side effects from vaccination.

JANE DEAN
Lyndhurst Road, NW3

• Editor’s note: For the NHS guidance on vaccinations, see: www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/