The JCVI has a responsibility to provide high quality and considered advice and recommendations to the UK Health Ministers. This includes giving advice on recommendations on matters of both a 'routine' nature and also on any specific or special matters that Ministers may request. In formulating any advice and recommendations, the Committee must take into account the need for and impact of vaccines, the quality of vaccines and the strategies to ensure that their greatest benefit to the public health can be obtained from the most appropriate use of vaccines. JCVI members meet and report as one Committee usually three times a year. Its recommendations, as accepted by the Secretaries of State, are published in "Immunisation against infectious diseases" and also through other routes as necessary.
Membership
The JCVI chairman is Professor Andrew Pollard of Oxford Vaccine Group in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford. The current members' names and affiliations are published online although year of appointment is not stated. According to the published code of practice appointments are normally of three years duration. In accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, members cannot serve on the Committee for more than 10 years.
Position on MMR
The JCVI "expressed concern" about giving triple vaccines to children with a personal or family history of convulsions, but considered it appropriate to proceed with a planned introduction of the MMR vaccine in October 1988, including two products containing Urabe strain. After the start of the mass MMR immunisation programme, additional evidence that the strain was linked with viral meningitis surfaced in a number of countries, and by 1990, many had withdrawn products containing it. In November 1992, it was withdrawn in the UK, following the publication of government-sponsored research which confirmed a high incidence of transitory mild meningitis. Since that time, government agencies have acted to prevent the importation of single vaccines containing this strain. In 2001, Andrew Wakefield published what he said were his concerns in the Journal of Adverse Drug and Toxicological Reviews commenting on early studies of MMR, none of which were critical of the vaccine. The article was reviewed by the JCVI, which unequivocally rejected Wakefield's claims, with government agencies publishing a detailed rebuttal. In 2010 Andrew Wakefield was struck off by the General Medical Council for fabrication of results and failure to declare a financial interest in the importation of single strain vaccines. In 2011 The British Medical Journal ran articles over 3 weeks documenting his fraud and criticising The Lancet editor for delay in accepting evidence of fraud and withdrawing the publication.
As is the case in the United States and many other countries, the mercury-based additive thimerosal, previously thought necessary for multi-dose vials of vaccines such as the DPT shot, has largely been phased out. According to the JCVI, it has been shown that the amount of mercury in the blood of children receiving thimerosal-containing vaccines is well below levels that may be "associated with any toxic effects." Reports reviewed by the JCVI contend that mercury exposure in the UK immunisation programme is low. However, JCVI endorsed recommendations to remove the preservative "even though there is no evidence of toxicity, as a precautionary measure, thiomersal should be phased out over time..."
