MMR vaccine-autism link'unethical'

[Miaow]

Rubella vaccine-autism link'unethical'

• From correspondents in London
• From: AFP
• January 29, 2010 1:02PM

A BRITISH doctor who stirred up controversy by suggesting a vaccination against childhood illnesses was linked to autism acted unethically in carrying out his research, a medical regulator ruled.

Dr Andrew Wakefield's 1998 study, published in the Lancet medical journal, said there might be a connection between the measles, mumps and rubella injection and autism.
The suggestion horrified parents and led to a slump in the number of youngsters getting the jab, as well as triggering heated debate in medical circles.
The take-up of injections is yet to recover a decade on from the controversy.
In a ruling yesterday, the General Medical Council attacked Dr Wakefield for "unethical'' research methods and for showing a "callous disregard'' for the youngsters as he carried out tests.
This included taking blood samples from children at his son's birthday party for £5 ($9) payments.
The council further criticised him for acting in a misleading, dishonest and irresponsible way in the manner he described his 1998 study on children.
"Despite your explanation that you did not consider it unethical to obtain blood in this way, the panel found that it was unethical and that you did not have ethical approval for such an undertaking,'' Doctor Surendra Kumar, chairman of the council's disciplinary panel, said.
"It also found that you caused blood to be taken in an inappropriate social setting and you showed a callous disregard for the distress and pain you knew or ought to have known the children involved might suffer.
"You abused your position of trust as a medical practitioner.''
Dr Wakefield - who was working in London at the time of the research but is now based in the United States - said he was "extremely disappointed'' by the ruling and added the accusations against him were "unfounded and unjust''.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...-1225824675019

Fall of Andrew Wakefield, ‘dishonest’ doctor who started MMR scare

David Rose, Health Correspondent

The doctor who sparked a worldwide panic over the MMR vaccine could be struck off after being found guilty yesterday of a series of misconduct charges related to his “unethical” research.
Andrew Wakefield, who in 1998 claimed an unfounded link between the vaccination and autism, “showed a callous disregard” for the suffering of children, subjecting them to unnecessary, invasive tests, a hearing found.
The General Medical Council (GMC) ruled that he abused his position of trust as he researched a possible link between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism in children.
It found that Wakefield and two colleagues acted dishonestly and irresponsibly in carrying out research on children against their best interests and without official permission.
The GMC ruled that Wakefield, who was working at the Royal Free Hospital in London as a gastroenterologist at the time, did not have the ethical approval or qualifications to oversee the study, which involved children undergoing colonoscopies, lumbar punctures, barium meals and brain scans.
He was also found to have brought the medical profession into disrepute after taking blood samples from youngsters at his son's birthday party in return for payments of £5 and failing to disclose vital conflicts of interest.
He received £50,000 to carry out the research on behalf of solicitors acting for parents who believed that their children had been harmed by MMR, but could not account for how at least half this money had been spent.
He also did not declare any conflict of interest to The Lancet medical journal, which published the research.
The GMC found the charges against Wakefield, and the professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch were “sufficient to amount to serious professional misconduct”.
But as he delivered the verdicts, Dr Surendra Kumar, the panel’s chairman, was repeatedly heckled by distraught parents who support Wakefield and his former colleagues. One woman shouted: "These doctors have not failed our children. You are outrageous." She called the panel of experts "b******s" and accused the GMC of being a "kangaroo court". All three doctors deny any wrongdoing.
The study prompted a massive drop in the number of children being vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. Uptake of the MMR vaccine was 91 per cent before 1998, but by 2003 this had fallen to 79 per cent. In 2008 there were nearly 1,400 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales — compared with 57 in 1997 — and nearly a dozen deaths had been officially linked to the illness.
Subsequent studies involving millions of children found no evidence of a link between MMR and autism.
The hearing sat for 148 days over a two-and-a-half year period, at a cost to the GMC, funded by doctors, of more than £1 million. It is the longest running medical misconduct case in the Council’s 147 year history.
Before yesterday’s hearing, 12 organisations, including the Medical Research Council, the British Medical Association and Faculty of Public Health, released a joint statement reaffirming their confidence in the jab.
“The undersigned believe that the MMR triple vaccine protects the health of children,” they said. “A large body of scientific evidence shows no link between the vaccine and autism.”
Wakefield was not present to hear the verdicts being read out but appeared to make a statement later, saying he was dismayed at the panel’s decision.
“I am extremely disappointed by the outcome of today’s proceedings,” he said.
“The allegations against me and my colleagues are unfounded and unjust and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusions.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/lif...SS&attr=797084

Also a timeline of the MMR Scandal - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...SS&attr=797084

There are more articles on the timesonline.co.uk site on this matter also

[Hootenanny]

That study has been discredited for a while now, doesn't mean it's safe and it has not been proven to be safe.

[Miaow]

Still it's sad that it lead to an increase on these diseases coming back also :/

The study prompted a massive drop in the number of children being vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. Uptake of the MMR vaccine was 91 per cent before 1998, but by 2003 this had fallen to 79 per cent. In 2008 there were nearly 1,400 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales — compared with 57 in 1997 — and nearly a dozen deaths had been officially linked to the illness.

[Pax]

Still it's sad that it lead to an increase on these diseases coming back also :/

I just dont think it makes sense to try to prevent a disease with a poison

scares the crapola out of me

[Hootenanny]

I agree it is always sad when there is an increase in disease but it's not always so straight forward, vax doesn't guarantee immunity and with the exception of measles the diseases that vax covers are fairly mild in young children. Mumps is a fairly mild disease in prepubescent children as is rubella. The main concern with rubella is pregnant women and I think rather than immunising babies we shoud be immunising women.
I think you will find that many people who don't want to vax with mmr would consider a measles only vax, but to cut costs and ease of administration the powers that be have a multidose and take the choice away from parents.

[Hollywood]

I prefer to believe the study involving MILLIONS of children, which showed no link to autism. I can't believe that so many people would believe that shonky doctor who took blood samples at his child's party!

[RoarsomeMum]

The Dr Nor the study played a part in our delaying vax. It was the people experiencing it.

Push the vax to 2yrs or 3yrs or 5yrs to prove the claims that the overwhelming amount of symptoms and diagnosis reported within 3 months of vax are not related to the immunisation. (instead of the convienient fall back of, "well, this is the age symptoms present".) That would be lovely.

There have been and will continue to be offensive dodgy studies done on all kinds of things, Depression, mental illness as a whole, Birth trauma, breastfeeding.. the whole gauntlet.. A crappy study does not necessarily = a bogus claim.

[Fuchsia!]

I prefer to believe the study involving MILLIONS of children, which showed no link to autism. I can't believe that so many people would believe that shonky doctor who took blood samples at his child's party!

What study is that? Can you please link me?

[TurnedBatty]

I prefer to believe the study involving MILLIONS of children, which showed no link to autism. I can't believe that so many people would believe that shonky doctor who took blood samples at his child's party!

Agreed! Makes me wonder how he suggested taking the blood to the parents. "Oh yes please come in. Now I need three drops of blood before your child can enter. And here is nine dolars for your tears." lol

I like the fact that he was struck off (or whatever it said) His research was bodgy. Good riddance to a bad doctor

[Hollywood]

What study is that? Can you please link me?

yes:

A Danish study of more than half a million children showed no link between measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism.
In a commentary accompanying the study, which was published in the , Dr Edward Campion, senior deputy editor, wrote, “This careful and convincing study shows that there is no association between autism and MMR vaccination.”
....read article

and

A Japanese research study has provided the strongest proof yet that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination does not cause autism, by showing that rates of autism in Japan continued to rise even after the triple vaccine was withdrawn.
....read article

and also

There is no link between the MMR jab and autism, according to the largest published study on the issue.
Fears over a link in the Nineties led to a massive drop in the number of children having the jab for mumps, measles and rubella. Research on 12 children published in 1998 suggested a link between the vaccine, autism and bowel disease. Its lead author, Dr Andrew Wakefield, is now facing charges relating to the claims before the General Medical Council.
Today's research, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, involved almost 250 children aged between 10 and 12, from the south Thames area.
...read article

I haven't got time to link anymore but there were more in my search. Thank god for modern medicine, we can prevent some horrible diseases.