Livingstone tells parents to give babies single jabs

Ken Livingstone plunged into the row over the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine yesterday by advising parents in London to give their babies the alternative single jabs.

The Mayor of London risked infuriating the Department of Health by telling parents not to have the triple vaccine because children as young as 14 months were "incredibly vulnerable".

Mr Livingstone, whose partner Emma Beal is expecting their first baby later this year, asked in an interview with Radio 5 Live: "Why whack them into a child at this time?"

"My advice to all Londoners is that if you can, get it done separately. I do not think there is a risk," he said.

Mr Livingstone said parents were wary about the safety of the triple vaccine after reports that it could be linked to autism and after health scares such as BSE. He accused the Government of refusing to provide separate vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella to save money.

Meanwhile, doctors warned that there could be a measles epidemic unless the Government moved to restore public confidence in the MMR vaccine by scrapping incentive payments for GPs. Family doctors qualify for payments of £955 a year if they vaccinate 70 per cent of children under five and £2,865 if 90 per cent.

Doctors at the British Medical Association's annual conference in Harrogate demanded an end to the system because it undermined their credibility. Parents worried about the MMR vaccine could disregard doctors when they insisted it was safe because they had a vested financial interest in providing the jab, GPs said.