[Note: the government has paid out for MMR deaths.]

Letter: Sunday Express 10 Feb 2002 [MMR not responsible for measles deaths]

THE article by Lucy Johnston, "Were all of these children killed by the tripple MMR jab?" (Sunday Express, January 13) was misleading.

The simple answer to the headline is "no" Your reporter says that SSPE, which caused the death of a number of the children in the article, is very carefully monitored. Wherever possible, brain tissue from people who die as a result of SSPE is examined to see what type of measles virus was responsible. In every case looked at, "wild" measles virus, and not vaccine virus, has been found to be the cause.These children had caught measles before they could have been protected by vaccination.

MMR directly protects children against SSPE and death — it does not cause it..

Dr Elizabeth Miller, Head of Immunisation Division,Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, PHLS..

Dr David Brown, Director, WHO Global Measles

Reference Library, Central Public Health Laboratory, PHLS