Wakefield’s Study Linking Vaccines to Autism was ‘Deliberate Fraud’

The 1998 study in which Dr. Andrew Wakefield first claimed that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism was ‘manufactured at a London medical school’ and its data based not on science, but on ‘deliberate fraud.’

In the first of a series of articles in BMJ (British Medical Journal), journalist Brian Deer, who has long reported on Wakefield, describes how the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed. Below are the main points in Deer’s article; I quote from his text in full, due to the amount of detail. Emphases in italics are mine.
_________________

The Lancet paper [which was retracted last year] was a case series of 12 child patients; it reported a proposed “new syndrome” of enterocolitis and regressive autism and associated this with MMR as an “apparent precipitating event.” But in fact:

Three of nine children reported with regressive autism did not have autism diagnosed at all. Only one child clearly had regressive autism
Despite the paper claiming that all 12 children were “previously normal,” five had documented pre-existing developmental concerns
Some children were reported to have experienced first behavioural symptoms within days of MMR, but the records documented these as starting some months after vaccination
In nine cases, unremarkable colonic histopathology results—noting no or minimal fluctuations in inflammatory cell populations—were changed after a medical school “research review” to “non-specific colitis”
The parents of eight children were reported as blaming MMR, but 11 families made this allegation at the hospital. The exclusion of three allegations—all giving times to onset of problems in months—helped to create the appearance of a 14 day temporal link
Patients were recruited through anti-MMR campaigners, and the study was commissioned and funded for planned litigation

_________________

In an editorial accompanying Deer’s article, Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of BMJ writes:

‘Clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare.’

I sincerely hope so. But I am very sure that, even with all the facts, data, and evidence laid before them, those who believe that vaccines or something in vaccines caused or somehow ‘contributed’ to their child becoming autistic will stand by their claims, and by Wakefield. Some of these persons are my friends. They are parents, as am I, of autistic children. In some cases, our children were diagnosed at around the same time and we cried together, worried together, searched and searched for treatments and therapies together, learned together, hoped together.

It is a hard thing to know, that no one knows why one’s child is autistic.

CNN quotes Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, who states that the report “represents Wakefield as a person where the ends justified the means.” However, he also notes that:

the latest news may have little effect on those families who still blame vaccines for their children’s conditions.

“Unfortunately, his core group of supporters is not going to let the facts dissuade their beliefs that MMR causes autism……..They need to be open-minded and examine the information as everybody else.”

Godlee in her BMJ editorial describes the damage wrought by Wakefield’s 1998 article:

[T]he damage to public health continues, fuelled by unbalanced media reporting and an ineffective response from government, researchers, journals, and the medical profession. Although vaccination rates in the United Kingdom have recovered slightly from their 80% low in 2003-4, they are still below the 95% level recommended by the World Health Organization to ensure herd immunity. In 2008, for the first time in 14 years, measles was declared endemic in England and Wales. Hundreds of thousands of children in the UK are currently unprotected as a result of the scare, and the battle to restore parents’ trust in the vaccine is ongoing.

Wakefield’s article caused a worldwide public health scare about vaccines whose effects will be with us for years and has led untold numbers of parents down a trail of false hopes, as parents have sought out all sorts of biomedical treatments to ‘recover’ their child from autism.

I hope that we can all read the articles in BMJ and understand that what is presented in them is facts, data, and evidence, clear and simple.

And true.

_____________

Previous posts on Care2:

Update: Lancet Study Retracted: Vaccines, Autism, Bad Research and the Damage Wrought by Andrew Wakefield

Andrew Wakefield Resigns from Thoughtful House: Is Vaccinegate Over?

Autism and Vaccines: The Public Debate Rages On

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Philip S.

9:04AM PST on Nov 9, 2011

Wakefield has been vindicated, it wasn't a fraud, where's the follow up article?

send a green star

Marilyn J L.

1:52PM PDT on Aug 12, 2011

What saddens me is the unnecessary deaths and illnesses children have suffered because of this fraud.

Past Member .

7:34PM PDT on May 28, 2011

Google,' The Complete Deconstruction of The British Medical Journal/Brian Deer false allegations against Dr Andrew Wakefield aired Jan27,2011 on Dr GaryNull'sShow.British Medical Journal & The Lancet wedded to Merck CME partnership. ProgressiveRadioNetwork*cm.www*knowshots*com. Healingourchildren*net. Google,'Do Vaccines Disable The Immune System? by Dr Randell Neusaedter. Google,'CDC Concedes Secretly That Vaccines Have a Link To Autism.' YouTube Dr Maurice Hillerman Censored Interview. YouTubeVideo,'The TruthAboutVaccines.' See the movie, 'In Lies We Trust.' on YouTube or Netflix. See The Movie,'Vaccine Nation.' on YT or NF. See the movie, 'All Fall Down-CCHR' on YT. also, see 'Guinea Pig Kids' on YT also the movie,'Vaccination-The Hidden Truth.' Google, 'US Government Wants To Test Anthrax Vaccines On Children.' wwwdtldsfreedomforum*cm www*newslettertree*cm. Truthfrequencynews*cm. www*vaclib*org. www*healthfreedomportal*org Google,'US Goverment Infected Guatamalans With Syphillis.' lookup measle vaccine ingredients. Rense*cm Get off The 'LameStreamMediaTrain & realise all they care about are PROFITS! NOT HUMAN HEALTH. Thanks for the propaganda piece Care2 but I'm not buyin it! Peace & Love to all Truth Seekers out there & *Don't Drink the Koolaid!

Linda C.

8:15AM PDT on May 2, 2011

Mitt T. Mercury is not all out of flu shots. As a matter of fact you now get a double dose of Mercury because they have included the H1N1 shot in the flu shot which has another dose of mercury in it. Let's tell the truth here. Stop trying to brainwash people into thinking vaccines are safe. They are not.

Rod W.

7:02AM PDT on Mar 26, 2011

Wakefield is a fraud. Nothing has emerged to show otherwise. If you're getting your "news" from naturalnews.com, well there's your problem. They're the "natural" version of Fox News, propaganda and misinformation for the gullible.

Traci G.

5:49AM PDT on Mar 25, 2011

Documents emerge proving Dr Andrew Wakefield innocent; BMJ and Brian Deer caught misrepresenting the facts.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031116_Dr_Andrew_Wakefield_British_Medical_Journal.html#ixzz1HcCP4cvz

http://www.naturalnews.com/031116_Dr_Andrew_Wakefield_British_Medical_Journal.html

Rick K.

8:37PM PST on Feb 18, 2011

Dawn, nobody said Wakefield completely fabricated all the cases. That's what is known as a strawman argument - you claim people said something they didn't, and then you refute it.

I consider that a dishonest tactic.

What is clearly documented is that what Wakefield claimed in the paper about several of the children did not in fact match their medical records.

What is clearly documented is that Andrew Wakefield filed a patent that would make him a LOT of money if the MMR was discredited.

What is clearly documented is that Andrew Wakefield wrote a business plan talking about the opportunity he was about to create by discrediting the MMR.

Let me repeat this part so everyone gets it - Andrew Wakefield held a press conference to create a panic about the MMR so he personally could get rich. The evidence is written and signed by his own hand.

And what is clearly documented is that the website you quote - naturalnews - makes its money selling large numbers of products that have no medical value other than as placebos for gullible buyers.

I'm quoting documents written by Andrew Wakefield and merely reported by British press. You're quoting a known conspiracy-theorist crank.

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1506

Dawn G.

8:49AM PST on Feb 15, 2011

New documents have emerged that clear Dr Andrew Wakefield of the allegations of fraud recently made by the British Medical Journal and its reporter Brian Deer.

Newly-revealed documents show that on December 20th, 1996, a meeting of The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group based at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School featured a presentation by Professor Walker-Smith on seven of the children who would later become part of the group of patients Dr Wakefield wrote about in his 1998 The Lancet paper.

Remember, Dr Wakefield has been accused of completely fabricating his findings about these same children in his 1998 paper, but these documents reveal that fourteen months before Dr Wakefield's paper was published, two other researchers -- Professor Walker-Smith and Dr Amar Dhillon -- independently documented the same problems in these children, including symptoms of autism.

Thus, Dr Wakefield could not have "fabricated" these findings as alleged by the British Medical Journal, which now finds itself in the position of needing to issue a retraction, or it must now expand its accusations of fraud to include Professor Walker-Smith and Dr Dhillon... essentially, the BMJ must now insist that a "conspiracy of fraud" existed among at least these three researchers, and possibly more, in order to back up its allegation that Dr Wakefield's study results were fabricated.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031116_Dr_Andrew_Wakefield_British_Medical_Journal.html#ixzz1E2yQMZdZ

Die H.

5:09AM PST on Feb 15, 2011

Let's start with the first scare tactic: an autism "epidemic."

My experience is that there is no rise in cases of autism. What there is, is a sharp rise in the DIAGNOSIS of autism - coupled directly with the number of expensive "treatments" and quack "therapies," and whether your insurance WILL PAY FOR THEM.

My brother's son, who is three, was diagnosed with autism within six months after his shots. His wife, who at 45 is paranoid about her first child, immediately enrolled him in special schools, therapies, programs, the whole schmeer - to the tune of five grand a month, of which his government insurance pays two-thirds.

One of his playmates, the third child of a much younger woman, who is not so paranoid, and also has only basic health insurance, exhibits exactly the same behavior. Watching them, you can barely tell them apart. She elected not to fall for the same scam that was tried on her with her first child (who turned out perfectly normal).

More than a year after twin diagnoses and two entirely different worlds of treatment, THEY STILL EXHIBIT EXACTLY THE SAME BEHAVIOR.

The same scenario, by the way, holds for two of my friends in their fifties. Both received vaccines. Both were cut-ups. Both were diagnosed as "mildly retarded" (that was the term in the 1950s). One was wealthy, and went to special schools. One was not, and didn't.

Today, the one who received special treatment is a secretary. The one who did not is a registered nurse.

Get it yet?

Mit W.

6:11PM PST on Feb 2, 2011

Why, thank you, Jewel S. I assume you mean me. I will take advantage of vaccines when the oportunities arise. And, as for brainwashing, i find it cleanses the mind, haaaah ! ;)

And with that, i'd like to leave two more thoughts.

Someone blamed DDT for polio. Interesting as DDT was invented in 1939 and FDR contracted it in 1921. Not to mention that New York City suffered a polio epidemic in 1916, along with other parts of the US.

People are still harping on ethylmercury in vaccines. Since 2003 it's been out of all but flu vaccines. Yet autism marches on. As they say back in Brooklyn, fuhgeddaboudit ! It ain't the cause.