British Doctor Faked Data Linking Vaccines to Autism, and Aimed to Profit From It

Antivaxers are corrupt idiots.

It’s too bad that most journalists aren’t so well-versed in the issue that they can challenge Wakefield’s nonsensical assertion that his results “have been replicated on five continents.”

None of the papers cited by Wakefield and his supporters replicate Wakefield’s work. However, one of Wakefield’s colleagues and former business partners co-authored a study that was a rigorous and explicit attempt to replicate Wakefield’s findings; the authors concluded: “The work reported here eliminates the remaining support for the hypothesis that ASD with GI complaints is related to MMR exposure. We found no relationship between the timing of MMR and the onset of either GI complaints or autism.” [Hornig M, et al. Lack of association between measles virus vaccine and autism with enteropathy: a case-control study. PLoS One. 2008 Sep 4;3(9):e3140]

The hospital that employed Wakefield as a researcher offered Wakefield salary, staff, and research report to perform a study involving 150 children in an attempt to replicate his results. Although Wakefield was content to accept direct payment from lawyers and legal aid money to support the litigation-driven research that (before he had enrolled any patients in his study) he assured the lawyers would show that MMR caused autism, after initially accepting the hospital’s offer and then doing nothing for months, Wakefield huffed that being asked to do a study impinged on his academic freedom, and he never attempted to replicate his own preliminary work.

The papers that Wakefield and his true believers fatuously suggest “replicate” his results include a study that does not support Wakefield; a report (from Wakefield’s colleagues in a brand-new journal that they established with Wakefield) that does not associate either ASD or bowel complaints with MMR; a consensus report that sensibly suggests that children with ASD (just like children without ASD) can indeed have bowel problems; and case reports from 2 children and 1 adult with no association of ASD or bowel problems to vaccination. Sheesh.

Knowing some of those vocal cadre, having him exposed as a huckster won't change their opinion of vaccines and they will continue to endanger thier children by not getting them vaccinated. Its sad really, to bad we can't vaccinate for stupidity.

@caradoc01

"they will continue to endanger thier children by not getting them vaccinated"

While also endangering the lives of others, such as infants and people with compromised immune systems.

@caradoc01

True. At least this is a step in the right direction. Some people will believe anything no matter what is thrown before them.

This article is political. All of the vaccine articles on here are political. If you think it's important to get your kids vaccinated, good. Your genes won't be around for more than a couple generations and the world will be better off.

LIES!!!! THIS IS ALL LIES!!! VACCINES CAUSED THE BLACK DEATH!!!! AND SMALLPOX!!! AND 9/11!!!

I figured the anti-vaccine people needed a spokesperson. How'd I do?

Why is it such a bad thing to want single vaccinations? To not have your child pumped with 6 shots at the 12 month visit? Regardless of weather he had financial interest in it or not, he said many times that children are just much safer getting single vaccinations which we can get from another country. Is it really too hard to believe that the government and the american health organization wants to silence him given the information and studies were true?

Well, first, it's not even the American government he's in trouble with. More importantly, though, all of that "fear, uncertainty and doubt" is a part of his campaign. There's no reason to *have* that preference - medical science knows what it's doing. What you're asking is comparable to saying that your cable repairman only use tools with red handles because you personally distrust blue ones.

I'm actually glad to see that this scandal has come out. A lot of well-meaning people have been sucked into this ridiculous argument by folks who wanted to use it politically. Frankly, I'm a little relieved to find out that the person who started it wasn't simply a well-meaning individual who turned out to be wrong, but actively malicious instead. I don't know, maybe that will help some people save face backing out of this silly little fight.

Really, though, I don't know that it ever made any sense to me. Claiming that you distrust governments, science, or medical companies because government-subsidized corporate-headed medical science told you to seems a bit backwards.

@dumanda

"Is it really too hard to believe that the government and the american health organization wants to silence him given the information and studies were true?"

Yes it is.

The facts in this case don't add up. Almost everyone of his colleges removed their name from this study. No one was every able to duplicate his results. He accepted a job at a hospital to continue his studies on this supposed link and after accepting the position declined to do further research into the subject.

So in order for this to be a conspiracy to keep one man silent, all his colleges and all the other researchers that tried to duplicate his results, plus Andrew himself would need to be in on it.

Remember as well that there was an anti-vaccine minority BEFORE Wakefield's study.

They normally dissented due to an ethical concern, roughly abriviated as:

1) Failure to immunize does not harm or risk a child. (That is the actual act of not having the injection).

2) Immunizing does come with some risk to the child. (There have always been side effects, including, very rarely, death).

3) Not immunizing does not garuntee that a child will get the disease during their life.

So, that population has decided that it is better to put the risk to the child on the universe (chance, God, etc), rather than be the active cause of that risk through vaccination.

If you are a utilitarian moralist, then you are liking thinking that the risk of vaccination is MUCH lower than the risk of catching the disease and having a deliterious time of it - and think that non-vacciners are horrible parents.

For those with a firm belief, however, in the divine's intervention in the world, not vaccinating becomes the moral act.

This community quickly latched on to Wakefield's study, and since "it causes Autism" is an easier sell than a nuanced ethical difference, expect that community to be loath to give up such a convient tagline.

Disclaimer - I am both pro-vaccine and a zealous believer (which is why I have come into contact with so many anti-vaccine families).

not having children vaccinated is like playing russian roullete with your childs life, a risk i would never be willing to risk, this man should be brought up on charges of homocide for every child that died from a vaccine treated disease that never got never got vaccinated because of this report. Its just like yelling fire in a theater.

retards...why do you think the mixture of the MMR vaccine was changed several years ago in the USA?? what would the reason be??? hmmm..maybe because there was something wrong with it..but remember you can't sue these companies they are protected by law..research it..

bobww, thimerosal was removed from these vaccines by the companies selling the vaccines, because a lot of people were freaking out about them as a result of bogus studies like this. It doesn't matter that people were behaving irrationally by refusing to use these vaccines. If they didn't change the vaccine, they weren't going to sell as many, so they did as the consumer demanded. This is the way the market works. The "US" did not change the vaccines (the FDA itself has always said they're safe).

I admire doctors for their passion in saving lives. It is just so sad that there are some of them that instead of looking for things for the welfare of the patients, they are more concerned in earning profit that is dangerous for the patients.