'Horrific' experience leads some to take legal action
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.RICHARD Lancaster was given MMR vaccine at boarding school in May 1990. Within hours of returning home for his half-term holiday he was complaining of increasingly severe headaches and he started vomiting.
Within three days he was in hospital. 'He was flat out, unable to eat or drink. He was admitted at 4.30pm and by 11pm they confirmed he had meningitis,' said Richard's mother, Angela Lancaster. 'The second day was the worst. They were taking his temperature every five minutes; it was very high. It was four days before we were able to take him home.'
Even then he suffered headaches for five weeks, so severe on one occasion, his mother says, he was crying and screaming with pain. 'My son was very unwell,' Mrs Lancaster said. Unusually, Richard was 13 when he was vaccinated, two years older than the recommended top age, but like other, younger children who developed meningitis, his case was investigated by a Department of Health doctor.
His family also considered taking legal action but as Richard recovered and there was no evidence of neurological damage, they decided not to proceed.
But their solicitor, Richard Barr, of King's Lynn, a specialist in compensation cases, is representing another family from the North of England whose five-year- old son was left profoundly deaf after meningitis following MMR vaccination.
'These families have had a horrific time . . . there have been a lot of rumblings about whether the vaccine should have been taken off the market earlier,' Mr Barr said.
Another family in Oxford is reported to have started legal action after they claim their child was brain damaged.
The MMR vaccines were added to the child immunisation programme in 1988 and there have been intermittent reports of adverse reactions to them since.
Last month the Department of Health reported record numbers of children being vaccinated and in 1991, for the first time, no deaths in England and Wales from measles or whooping cough.
Government figures reveal that 92 per cent of children received MMR vaccines and 90 per cent whooping cough vaccine.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments