To take a shot, wait or not
Just three or four years ago, parents unsure about MMR could opt to go private and pay for single doses of mumps, measles and rubella vaccines.
However, in 2001, the availability of single vaccines began to dwindle when two major suppliers stop importing them, claiming lack of demand caused by high use of the triple MMR vaccine.
When supplies ran out, some parents took the option of travelling abroad to seek single doses. But for most this option was not only impractical, but impossible, because of the cost, and the majority were left with no choice but to accept MMR.
Jonathon Chan (not his real name) found a more controversial solution. His two children, aged two and four, have never been vaccinated against MMR or any other diseases. It's a fact he prefers not to publicise because he fears people may discriminate against his family if they knew.
His actions would be considered dangerous or irresponsible by medical experts who fear boycotting vaccine will lead to epidemics of the diseases. In the worst case scenario, an epidemic could result in serious complications and even death.
However, Chan dismisses this argument, saying that his family stays healthy with a combination of good diet and lifestyle and natural therapy.
'There may be many hidden damages from vaccinations. Autism may just be one of them,' he says. 'But how serious can mumps and measles be? Remember when we were small, mothers asked their neighbours to let their children with measles and mumps visit to infect their own children, so that they could have the illnesses quicker to prevent the pain when they were older.'
His distrust of vaccines is shared by natural therapist Alexander Yuan Tai-ming, who says vaccines can be harmful, and can cause allergies, asthma and brain disorders.
'The government first promoted MMR - they won't come out and say it has a problem,' he says. 'They are afraid of being sued.'
Paediatrician Yvonne Ou has a less controversial solution than boycotting MMR: leave the vaccination until later.
'The misunderstanding can occur when the vaccine is given at a time when children are not developmentally fully formed,' she says. 'When the vaccine is given at one year, and then autism is discovered, parents blame it on the vaccine.
'But it is coincidental. It all happens at around the same time: the vaccination and the early signs of autism. That's why I say, let's leave it and give the vaccine at 15 months.'
