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| '''Dr. Andrew Wakefield''' (born ] in the ]) is a ] trained ], best known as the lead author of a controversial ] research study, published in the '']'', which reported bowel |
'''Dr. Andrew Wakefield''' (born ] in the ]) is a ] trained ], best known as the lead author of a controversial ] research study, published in the '']'', which reported a novel clinical syndrome characterized by a consistent set of bowel disorders among 12 children in association with ] disorders. 'Lymphoid nodular hyperplasia,' the principal clinical observation in Wakefield's research, had been reported 15 years earlier as a ] finding in children. | ||
| Wakefield sparked sharp rebukes from British medical authorities over the potential for reducing vaccination uptake, and a major controversy, by repeatedly assertiing the study suggested the need for further studies on the possible association between ] vaccination, bowel disease and ] and later advocating single-jab alternatives. In March, ], 10 of 12 study co-authors retracted an interpretation in the conclusion of the report, of a possible connection between the onset of symptoms and environmental triggers; however, the interpretation retracted did not specifically mention vaccines as a possible trigger. Since arriving in the ] in the wake of the MMR controversies, he has been engaged in research at a center for autistic children in ], while continuing to campaign as an advocate for vaccine safety. | |||
| ==Early career== | ==Early career== | ||
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| At the same time as the 1998 ''Lancet'' study was released, Wakefield called for suspension of the triple MMR vaccine at a press conference and in a video news release issued by the hospital. He said: "If you give three viruses together, three live viruses, then you potentially increase the risk of an adverse event occurring, particularly when one of those viruses influences the immune system in the way that measles does." He suggested parents should opt for single jabs against measles, mumps and rubella, separated by gaps of one year. | At the same time as the 1998 ''Lancet'' study was released, Wakefield called for suspension of the triple MMR vaccine at a press conference and in a video news release issued by the hospital. He said: "If you give three viruses together, three live viruses, then you potentially increase the risk of an adverse event occurring, particularly when one of those viruses influences the immune system in the way that measles does." He suggested parents should opt for single jabs against measles, mumps and rubella, separated by gaps of one year. | ||
| His warnings added fuel to the controversy and contributed to a drop in the number of children receiving MMR, as had been predicted in a letter to the government by Wakefield's chief at the hospital. |
His warnings, renewed after the British medical authorities restricted access to single-jab vaccinations, added fuel to the controversy and contributed to a drop in the number of children receiving MMR, as had been predicted in a letter to the government by Wakefield's chief at the hospital. | ||
| Shortly thereafter, |
Shortly thereafter, controversy over UK government efforts to limit the availability single vaccines, justified by the government based on its contention Wakefield had produced no evidence to substantiate his claim, contending his recommendation of spaced single vaccines would expose children to greater risk of infection. Single jabs are currently available through clinics not beholden to the UK's ]. In a February, 2002, Wakefield stated, "What precipitated this crisis was the removal of the single vaccine, the removal of choice, and that is what has caused the furor - because the doctors, the gurus, are treating the public as though they are some kind of moronic mass who cannot make an informed decision for themselves." | ||
| In December ], Wakefield resigned under pressure, just a month after becoming a fellow of the ] in recognition of his research publications, saying, "I have been asked to go because my research results are unpopular." The medical school said that he had left "by mutual agreement." | In December ], Wakefield resigned under pressure, just a month after becoming a fellow of the ] in recognition of his research publications, saying, "I have been asked to go because my research results are unpopular." The medical school said that he had left "by mutual agreement." | ||
| ==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
| In February of ], controversy resurfaced when Wakefield was accused of a conflict of interest. The London '']'' published a story wherein Wakefield acknowledged some of the 12 children in the ''Lancet'' study, |
In February of ], controversy resurfaced when Wakefield was accused of a conflict of interest. The London '']'' published a story wherein Wakefield acknowledged some of the 12 children in the ''Lancet'' study, unbeknownst to him at the time, were part of a lawsuit later filed against MMR manufacturers, and the Royal Free Hospital had received £55,000 from the UK's Legal Aid Board to pay for MMR research in a second, as yet unpublished study. In October ], the board, since renamed the Legal Services Commission, had cut off public funding for the litigation , causing some plaintiffs in the lawsuit to claim that the newspaper was supporting their opponents. | ||
| Twenty-four hours before the ''Sunday Times'' report, the ''Lancet'' responded to the investigation in a public statement, describing Wakefield's research as "fatally flawed," an allegation he rejects. The journal's editor said that, if he had known of the legal involvement in the research, he would not have published it. Ten of Wakefield's 12 co-authors of the ''Lancet'' paper published a "retraction of an interpretation." The retraction stated: "We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between |
Twenty-four hours before the ''Sunday Times'' report, the ''Lancet'' responded to the investigation in a public statement, describing Wakefield's research as "fatally flawed," an allegation he rejects. The journal's editor said that, if he had known of the legal involvement in the research, he would not have published it. Ten of Wakefield's 12 co-authors of the ''Lancet'' paper published a "retraction of an interpretation." The 'retraction', which did not apply to the central finding of a novel syndrome, stated: "We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between (the) vaccine and autism, as the data were insufficient. However the possibility of such a link was raised, and consequent events have had major implications for public health. In view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings in the paper, according to precedent." | ||
| In November 2004, the UK's Channel 4 Television broadcast a one-hour investigation by ''Sunday Times'' reporter ], which alleged that before the ''Lancet'' paper was published, Wakefield had filed a patent application for a single measles vaccine, and that his laboratory had failed to find measles virus in the children. The UK's General Medical Council is investigating the allegations, which Wakefield denies. | In November 2004, the UK's Channel 4 Television broadcast a one-hour investigation by ''Sunday Times'' reporter ], which alleged that before the ''Lancet'' paper was published, Wakefield had filed a patent application for a single measles vaccine, and that his laboratory had failed to find measles virus in the children. The UK's General Medical Council is investigating the allegations, which Wakefield denies. | ||
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| Meanwhile, many parents with autistic children have come forward to tell of children who appeared to be developing normally until administration of MMR, but regressed soon after. Some also say their autistic children suffer from digestive problems and food intolerances. Other parents have criticised Wakefield's theory for making them feel guilty for having had their child vaccinated. Wakefield's medical critics say chance alone would explain a frequent temporal association between vaccination and the appearance of developmental disorders, since autism is commonly first revealed early in the second year of life, when MMR vaccination is routine. | Meanwhile, many parents with autistic children have come forward to tell of children who appeared to be developing normally until administration of MMR, but regressed soon after. Some also say their autistic children suffer from digestive problems and food intolerances. Other parents have criticised Wakefield's theory for making them feel guilty for having had their child vaccinated. Wakefield's medical critics say chance alone would explain a frequent temporal association between vaccination and the appearance of developmental disorders, since autism is commonly first revealed early in the second year of life, when MMR vaccination is routine. | ||
| The Institutes of Medicine (]) , along with the ], ], and ] (and their British counterparts) deny that any link has been found between vaccines and autism. |
The Institutes of Medicine (]) , along with the ], ], and ] (and their British counterparts) deny that any link has been found between vaccines and autism. While a number of epidemiological studies have concluded there is no evidence of any link between MMR and autism or bowel disease, Wakefield contends some of the data actually supports his thesis. | ||
| In June, ] the ] program ''Horizon'' reported on an unpublished study examining blood samples from a group of 100 autistic children and 200 children without autism. They report finding 99% of the samples contained no trace of the measles virus, and the samples that did contain the virus were just as likely to be from non-autistic children. The study's authors found no evidence of any link between MMR and autism.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/mmr_prog_summary.shtml | In June, ] the ] program ''Horizon'' reported on an unpublished study examining blood samples from a group of 100 autistic children and 200 children without autism. They report finding 99% of the samples contained no trace of the measles virus, and the samples that did contain the virus were just as likely to be from non-autistic children. The study's authors found no evidence of any link between MMR and autism.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/mmr_prog_summary.shtml | ||
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| * - 'MMR Vaccine' (Nevada County Community Network) | * - 'MMR Vaccine' (Nevada County Community Network) | ||
| * - 'More studies link MMR vaccine to autism', ''The Idaho Observer'' | * - 'More studies link MMR vaccine to autism', ''The Idaho Observer'' | ||
| * - 'Japanese study is the strongest evidence yet for a link between MMR and autism' (opinion) Andrew J Wakefield FRCS FRCPath, Carol M Stott PhD | * - 'Japanese study is the strongest evidence yet for a link between MMR and autism' (opinion) Andrew J. Wakefield, FRCS, FRCPath, Carol M. Stott PhD | ||
| * - 'Anti-vaccine activists get jabbed', Michael Fumento (March 11, 2004) | * - 'Anti-vaccine activists get jabbed', Michael Fumento (March 11, 2004) | ||
Revision as of 21:00, 24 June 2005
Dr. Andrew Wakefield (born 1957 in the United Kingdom) is a Canadian trained gastroenterologist, best known as the lead author of a controversial 1998 research study, published in the Lancet, which reported a novel clinical syndrome characterized by a consistent set of bowel disorders among 12 children in association with autism spectrum disorders. 'Lymphoid nodular hyperplasia,' the principal clinical observation in Wakefield's research, had been reported 15 years earlier as a benign finding in children.
Wakefield sparked sharp rebukes from British medical authorities over the potential for reducing vaccination uptake, and a major controversy, by repeatedly assertiing the study suggested the need for further studies on the possible association between MMR vaccination, bowel disease and autism and later advocating single-jab alternatives. In March, 2004, 10 of 12 study co-authors retracted an interpretation in the conclusion of the report, of a possible connection between the onset of symptoms and environmental triggers; however, the interpretation retracted did not specifically mention vaccines as a possible trigger. Since arriving in the United States in the wake of the MMR controversies, he has been engaged in research at a center for autistic children in Texas, while continuing to campaign as an advocate for vaccine safety.
Early career
After qualifying as a surgeon in 1981, Dr. Wakefield began his professional career in Canada specializing in bowel resection surgery. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985, and returned to the UK in the late 1980s.
In the UK, his career turned toward academic research, when he was appointed to a non-clinical research position at the Royal Free Hospital medical school, part of the University of London. He published a number of studies which he said suggested a link between measles virus and Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This led him to criticize, on UK television in 1995 and 1996, Vaccines, such as the MMR, which contain live measles virus
In 1995, while conducting research into Crohn's, he was approached by Rosemary Kessick, the parent of an autistic child seeking help with her son's bowel problems . Kessick ran a group, Allergy Induced Autism , focused on the effects of diet of autistic children's behavior. Wakefield began a study that ultimately included 12 children, including Kessick's son.
The MMR controversy
In February 1998, a team of 13 doctors led by Wakefield released a study of Kessick's son and 11 other children, in an 'early report', published by the Lancet. The report was instantly controversial, leading to widespread publicity in the UK, and the convening of a special panel of the UK's Medical Research Council the following month . Although the authors stressed that no causal connection had been proven, the report described what its authors suggested was a possible new syndrome, involving a potential link between bowel disease, autism, and MMR. The study reported parents of eight of the twelve children reported the onset of behavioral problems within two weeks of MMR vaccination. In their summary 'interpretations' section of the paper, the authors wrote, "We identified associated gastrointestinal disease and developmental regression in a group of previously normal children, which was generally associated in time with possible environmental triggers."
At the same time as the 1998 Lancet study was released, Wakefield called for suspension of the triple MMR vaccine at a press conference and in a video news release issued by the hospital. He said: "If you give three viruses together, three live viruses, then you potentially increase the risk of an adverse event occurring, particularly when one of those viruses influences the immune system in the way that measles does." He suggested parents should opt for single jabs against measles, mumps and rubella, separated by gaps of one year.
His warnings, renewed after the British medical authorities restricted access to single-jab vaccinations, added fuel to the controversy and contributed to a drop in the number of children receiving MMR, as had been predicted in a letter to the government by Wakefield's chief at the hospital.
Shortly thereafter, controversy over UK government efforts to limit the availability single vaccines, justified by the government based on its contention Wakefield had produced no evidence to substantiate his claim, contending his recommendation of spaced single vaccines would expose children to greater risk of infection. Single jabs are currently available through clinics not beholden to the UK's National Health Service. In a February, 2002, Wakefield stated, "What precipitated this crisis was the removal of the single vaccine, the removal of choice, and that is what has caused the furor - because the doctors, the gurus, are treating the public as though they are some kind of moronic mass who cannot make an informed decision for themselves."
In December 2001, Wakefield resigned under pressure, just a month after becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in recognition of his research publications, saying, "I have been asked to go because my research results are unpopular." The medical school said that he had left "by mutual agreement."
Aftermath
In February of 2004, controversy resurfaced when Wakefield was accused of a conflict of interest. The London Sunday Times published a story wherein Wakefield acknowledged some of the 12 children in the Lancet study, unbeknownst to him at the time, were part of a lawsuit later filed against MMR manufacturers, and the Royal Free Hospital had received £55,000 from the UK's Legal Aid Board to pay for MMR research in a second, as yet unpublished study. In October 2003, the board, since renamed the Legal Services Commission, had cut off public funding for the litigation , causing some plaintiffs in the lawsuit to claim that the newspaper was supporting their opponents.
Twenty-four hours before the Sunday Times report, the Lancet responded to the investigation in a public statement, describing Wakefield's research as "fatally flawed," an allegation he rejects. The journal's editor said that, if he had known of the legal involvement in the research, he would not have published it. Ten of Wakefield's 12 co-authors of the Lancet paper published a "retraction of an interpretation." The 'retraction', which did not apply to the central finding of a novel syndrome, stated: "We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between (the) vaccine and autism, as the data were insufficient. However the possibility of such a link was raised, and consequent events have had major implications for public health. In view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings in the paper, according to precedent."
In November 2004, the UK's Channel 4 Television broadcast a one-hour investigation by Sunday Times reporter Brian Deer, which alleged that before the Lancet paper was published, Wakefield had filed a patent application for a single measles vaccine, and that his laboratory had failed to find measles virus in the children. The UK's General Medical Council is investigating the allegations, which Wakefield denies.
Meanwhile, many parents with autistic children have come forward to tell of children who appeared to be developing normally until administration of MMR, but regressed soon after. Some also say their autistic children suffer from digestive problems and food intolerances. Other parents have criticised Wakefield's theory for making them feel guilty for having had their child vaccinated. Wakefield's medical critics say chance alone would explain a frequent temporal association between vaccination and the appearance of developmental disorders, since autism is commonly first revealed early in the second year of life, when MMR vaccination is routine.
The Institutes of Medicine (IOM) , along with the CDC, NIH, and FDA (and their British counterparts) deny that any link has been found between vaccines and autism. While a number of epidemiological studies have concluded there is no evidence of any link between MMR and autism or bowel disease, Wakefield contends some of the data actually supports his thesis.
In June, 2005 the BBC program Horizon reported on an unpublished study examining blood samples from a group of 100 autistic children and 200 children without autism. They report finding 99% of the samples contained no trace of the measles virus, and the samples that did contain the virus were just as likely to be from non-autistic children. The study's authors found no evidence of any link between MMR and autism.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/mmr_prog_summary.shtml
See also
- Autism
- Controversies in autism
- inoculation
- Iatrogenesis
- MMR vaccine
- Vaccine controversy
- Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
External links
- About.com - 'Killing the Messenger: Dr. Andrew Wakefield Fired', Floyd Tilton (December 5, 2001)
- BMJJournals.com - Rapid Responses to book review: MMR: Science and Fiction. Exploring the Vaccine Crisis; MMR and Autism: What Parents Need to Know
- BrianDeer.com - 'Wakefield's reply to Lancet's retraction says legal contract was for viral study' (April 17, 2004)
- Brian Deer.com - 'the Lancet scandal: Following a Sunday Times investigation by Brian Deer, researchers at Britain's Royal Free hospital retracted claims that had caused a worldwide scare by linking the MMR vaccine with autism'
- Karger.com - 'Abnormal Measles-Mumps-Rubella Antibodies and CNS Autoimmunity in Children with Autism', Vijendra K. Singh, Sheren X. Lin, Elizabeth Newell, Courtney Nelson, Journal of Biomedical Science, Vol 9, No 4, 2002
- MelaniePhillips.com - 'The smearing of Andrew Wakefield', Melanie Phillips (February 23, 2004)
- Mercola.com - Response to NEJM Autism MMR Study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield
- MMRTheFacts.nhs.uk - 'MMR The Facts' (UK National Health Service)
- NCCN.net - 'MMR Vaccine' (Nevada County Community Network)
- ProLiberty.com - 'More studies link MMR vaccine to autism', The Idaho Observer
- RedFlagsWeekly.com - 'Japanese study is the strongest evidence yet for a link between MMR and autism' (opinion) Andrew J. Wakefield, FRCS, FRCPath, Carol M. Stott PhD
- SNHS.com - 'Anti-vaccine activists get jabbed', Michael Fumento (March 11, 2004)