Company may withdraw single-dose rubella vaccine

The Glaxo SmithKline pharmaceutical company is expected to withdraw a single-dose rubella vaccine from the Irish market.

The company has already halted production of Ervevax in Britain and is expected to make a decision regarding its distribution in Ireland by the end of next week.

If the firm decides to discontinue the vaccine, stocks could run out by the middle of next year, leaving Irish parents with no option but to use the controversial three-in-one MMR jab.

The Department of Health has insisted the MMR vaccine poses no health risk, despite some research linking it to autism in children.