Five-in-one vaccination

The government has set out plans to introduce a new vaccine to protect babies against five diseases.

A new "five-in-one" jab will vaccinate babies against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus influenzae B (HIB) and polio at two months, it was announced on Monday.

Government Response: Department of Health

John Hutton, health minister, said: "Immunisation is the best way to protect children from serious disease and the routine childhood programme has been extremely effective in achieving this.

"The changes...will further improve the programme and benefit children. The polio component is safer than the previous oral vaccine and the switch to acellular pertussis will mean children are less likely to suffer from minor reactions such as swelling and redness."

Party Response: Conservative

Andrew Lansley, shadow health secretary, said: "The way in which this has been announced leaves questions unanswered, and further undermines confidence in the approval system for vaccinations. Removing mercury from the preparation of vaccines is clearly the right thing to do, but public concerns about combining vaccines need to be addressed.

"It is increasingly obvious that the approvals and recommendations to the NHS on vaccinations should be transferred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

"The government has not learned the lessons of the MMR controversy. It is not just that the vaccination programme must be safe and effective. We have to carry public confidence and that means better public consultation and independent appraisal of new vaccine arrangements."

Stakeholder Response: Disabilities Trust

A spokesman for the Disabilities Trust said: "The Disabilities Trust understands the fears that some parents may have about the introduction of this new five-in-one jab for children.

"There has been a lot of bad publicity surrounding multiple vaccinations, most particularly of course, MMR and a possible causal link with autism.

"While the Trust itself feels that on balance, the weight of scientific evidence still indicates that MMR is safe, it is incumbent on the government to respond sympathetically to the concerns parents might have.

"Part of the reason why the debate around MMR and autism became so fraught was due to the perception that the government was acting in a high-handed and dismissive manner to parents who raised fears about this vaccination. It would be regrettable, in terms of public health, if this were to happen again."

Stakeholder Response: National Autistic Society

A spokesman for the National Autistic Society said: "The NAS is not a medical charity. It is therefore unable to state whether or not there is any link between any vaccine and autism.

"The NAS has supported the use of mercury-free vaccines as a precautionary measure and has argued that it is sensible to make the constituents of vaccines and medications clear to parents and health professionals. The NAS welcomes the announcement of the use of mercury-free vaccines in the UK vaccination programme."