Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Mar 08, 2019 •
This week a new research paper concluded, again, that there is no link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine and autism. It almost seems mundane to report on, given we established many years ago that there was no such link and the persistent myth was based on fraudulent ‘research’. But as a friend and family member of people … Read More
Alison Campbell • Mar 05, 2019 •
One of the myths (and there are a lot of them) continually pushed by those opposed to vaccination, is that “the MMR vaccine causes autism” – often coupled with claims that “there are no studies comparing the health of vaccinated & unvaccinated children”. (That’s another myth, by the way.) The origins of this claim can be laid squarely … Read More
Helen Petousis Harris • Aug 07, 2013 •
Bit of a buzz on anti-vaccination websites about apparent court rulings in favour of MMR/autism cases. An example is from a website called “why don’t you try this?” which cites as a source Whiteout Press (“if its blacked out, covered up of censored you can find it here”) which in turn cites The … Read More
Siouxsie Wiles • Jan 09, 2011 •
Fellow Sciblogger Grant Jacobs and I have both recently posted on the BMJ’s editorial ‘Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent’. The editors left us with plenty of food for thought, including: ‘What of Wakefield’s other publications? In light of this new information their veracity must be questioned. Past experience tells us that research misconduct … Read More
Siouxsie Wiles • Jan 09, 2011 •
Fellow SciBlogger Grant Jacobs has written an excellent post on the BMJ’s recent editorial ‘Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent’. I’d like to add a few points. I was recently told that the BMJ originally rejected Wakefield’s paper. I wonder if they sent it out for peer review? * If so, wouldn’t it be interesting … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Jan 06, 2011 •
The editorial team at the British Medical Journal, better known as BMJ, have presented an editorial titled ‘Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent’, writing that ‘Clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare’. Their editorial (open access) points to the ‘diligent scepticism of one … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Feb 13, 2010 •
In recent news the Lancet article by Andrew Wakefield that, in part, lay behind the MMR vaccination scare in the UK and elsewhere was retracted subsequent to a ruling by the UK General Medical Council’s Fitness to Practise Panel. (‘In part’ because mainstream media reportage and Wakefield's statements to the media and public also played a role–arguably the larger … Read More
Peter Griffin • Feb 01, 2010 •
In the world of medical research, Dr Andrew Wakefield is about as controversial a character as you can find. Andrew Wakefield It was Wakefield who was behind claims published in The Lancet in 1998 that pointed towards the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine being linked to autism in children. His paper and subsequent statements to the media that parents be … Read More