The government is confident MMR is safe

Anxious parents have been deluging the department with enquiries in the last few days after reading claims that ministers intend to bar infants from school unless they have a certificate signed by an NHS doctor to prove they have been immunised.

The department has also denied speculation that the triple jab will be replaced with a four-in-one vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

'No policy change'

In a statement posted on its official MMR website the department stated: "We have received a number of enquiries from parents concerned about rumours suggesting the MMR vaccine becoming compulsory.

"None of the childhood vaccinations available in the UK are compulsory. They are all offered on a voluntary basis.

"There are no plans to alter this policy."

The statement also ruled out a four-in-one vaccine and said officials were "not aware" of such a product being available for use in the UK.

Worried parents began contacting the department after it was claimed jabs would become mandatory in order for children to start school.

Truancy act

A message posted on the website run by vaccine pressure group JABS claimed under the new rules, infants would be banned from school unless their parents could prove they had been given the MMR vaccine.

It claimed: "We have learned there will be a compulsory vaccine next year. It will only be possible to obtain this via a NHS GP who has to sign a certificate which then allows your child entry into school. Without it - no school."

It added: "Parents who decide not to immunise could then be prosecuted under the Education Act for Truancy."

The message - which was posted under the name of a leading doctor involved in providing single vaccines - did not state the source of the information on mandatory jabs.

Some countries, including the US, already have a policy of compulsory vaccination for children.

But fears that the jab may be linked to autism and bowel disorders have led to a decline in uptake and an increase in the number of measles cases in children. Growing numbers of parents are opting instead for single jabs in the belief that they are safer.

The government has repeatedly stated that there is no evidence the MMR vaccine causes autism or gut problems.

The British Medical Association is compiling a report on whether vaccinations should be mandatory. The results are expected in June.

Worries

JABS spokeswoman Jackie Fletcher said more and more parents were choosing single vaccines for their children and were alarmed at the prospect of mandatory triple jabs.

She told BBC News Online: "This is something that has been bubbling under the surface for a while and even the suggestion of compulsory vaccines frightens the life out of us."

Fletcher added vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline is developing a four-in-one jab for the UK market.