ABSTRACT
The immunisation schedule has saved more lives than any other public health measure. The success of a vaccine is the number of primary cases of the disease but the number of secondary cases generated from the one primary source. A report from the World Health Organization included England and Wales in the seven European countries that could expect a measles epidemic in the near future. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is considering whether to include varicella into the childhood immunisation schedule because of the severity and sequelae in some children and patient groups. Thiomersal is a mercury-based antimicrobial preservative that is found in some diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis preparations. The US and Europe regulatory bodies have recommended that it is phased out. The World Health Organization has endorsed this, as well as stressing that if thiomersal-free vaccines are not available, vaccination programmes should not be compromised.
