ABSTRACT
Infant immunisation rates in Jewish children were generally quite high but, particularly in orthodox groups, uptake seems to be even more sensi tive to falls prompted by periodic immunisation scares than in the rest of the population and also seems to take longer to recover afterwards. At the end of the twentieth century there was considerable adverse publicity about infant immunisation, particularly about the combined MMR vac cine. Following this, there was an considerable drop in take up rate which was especially marked in orthodox Jewish children. Of the 2 9 ethnic groups recorded as living in the City and Hackney area of east London, orthodox Jews had the lowest uptake of infant vaccination in 2001 (less than 50%).
