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MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism
- Feb 9, 2009 at 5:13 PM
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- Comments (6) Total Views (157) Everyone can see this journal post.
THE doctor who sparked the scare over the safety of the MMR vaccine for children changed and misreported results in his research, creating the appearance of a possible link with autism, a Sunday Times investigation has found.
Confidential medical documents and interviews with witnesses have established that Andrew Wakefield manipulated patients’ data, which triggered fears that the MMR triple vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella was linked to the condition.
The research was published in February 1998 in an article in The Lancet medical journal. It claimed that the families of eight out of 12 children attending a routine clinic at the hospital had blamed MMR for their autism, and said that problems came on within days of the jab. The team also claimed to have discovered a new inflammatory bowel disease underlying the children’s conditions.
However, our investigation, confirmed by evidence presented to the General Medical Council (GMC), reveals that: In most of the 12 cases, the children’s ailments as described in The Lancet were different from their hospital and GP records. Although the research paper claimed that problems came on within days of the jab, in only one case did medical records suggest this was true, and in many of the cases medical concerns had been raised before the children were vaccinated. Hospital pathologists, looking for inflammatory bowel disease, reported in the majority of cases that the gut was normal. This was then reviewed and the Lancet paper showed them as abnormal.
Despite involving just a dozen children, the 1998 paper’s impact was extraordinary. After its publication, rates of inoculation fell from 92% to below 80%. Populations acquire “herd immunity” from measles when more than 95% of people have been vaccinated.
With two professors, John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch, Wakefield is defending himself against allegations of serious professional misconduct brought by the GMC. The charges relate to ethical aspects of the project, not its findings. All three men deny any misconduct.
Through his lawyers, Wakefield this weekend denied the issues raised by our investigation, but declined to comment further.
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
Comments:
You beat me to it!
Thanks for posting this! My Medical Terminology professor from last semester just showed this to me! Very interesting, indeed!
Well, I hope he is stripped of all professional licenses. Talk about unethical. As a social scientist, this is unconsciousnable to me. (Shivers). You DO NOT tamper with data to suit your agenda.
I can also see future lawsuits brought against him for various reasons.
Okay~ Here's my view and general thoughts...And personal thoughts.
I'm not gonna get into the great vax debate w/ anyone-In my personal POV w/ our daughter-I think the vax tipped Miss Z over the edge-I feel she was pre-disposed via whatever genetics of mine and DH's or by enviromental toxcicity buildup (because I still feel more research needs to go into air/water/soil-food contaminents that build in a mothers system ) may have been in place PRIOR to the vax-and the vax was system overload.
But I also feel genetics are a factor-So I'm not gonna tussle with anyone who comes to these comments and reads my reply.
I still believe in vaccinating-I just feel it should be spread out now rather than multiple jabs....
This article is interesting-and alot will say SEEEEEE-Told ya-vax has nothing to do with it....
But i my heart of hearts-I can't say that's true in my daughters case.
Oh-and I agree with Autumn (can't edit-so hadded to add reply)
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Meet jessicasmom1
This Pennsylvania mom of a 12-year-old girl wishes her daughter's father was still alive to see his little girl all grown up now.
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