Doc Who Tied Vaccine to Autism Ruled Unethical

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By EBEN HARRELL / LONDON Eben Harrell / London – Mon Feb 1, 4:50 pm ET

In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist at London's Royal Free Hospital, published a study in the prestigious medical journal Lancet that linked the triple Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism and bowel disorders in children. <snip>


Wakefield's study has since been discredited, and the MMR vaccine deemed to be safe. But now medical authorities in the U.K. have also ruled that the manner in which Wakefield carried out his research was unethical. In a ruling on Jan. 28, The General Medical Council, which registers and regulates doctors in the U.K., ruled that Wakefield acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly" during his research and with "callous disregard" for the children involved in his study. (See the year in health 2009.)


After the finding, Wakefield, who now heads an autism research center in Austin, Texas, described the decision as "unfounded and unjust." He added that he had "no regrets" over his work.


The General Medical Council, which will now decide whether to revoke Wakefield's medical license,

much more at link. Well worth the read.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599195765600
 
Big money to be made in vaccines.
There has been a witch hunt against this Doctor for a long time. A lot of GMC decisions make no sense whatsoever
 
I have doubted it was the vaccines for quite some time. But that's just me, and I have no medical training.
Hopefully now the real cause can be discovered.
 
I have doubted it since day one. Autism is a neurological disorder. Can't be caused or triggered by vaccines....JMO
 
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist...

This is the very first reason that I doubted it. He has no specialty in neurological disorders. Or sensory issues, or processing.

The other reason I doubted it is that my stepfather, who had Asperger's, was raised in the U.S and Austria, and was never vaccinated, and my son, classical autistic, had his first language spike and regression before the bulk of the vaccines were given (he didn't get his six months shots on time for medical reasons.)
Couple that with the fact that as more parents are choosing not vaccinate, we should see a drop in the autism rates, however, we aren't. In fact, the stats look worse every day.

I really hope that now, instead of every researcher on the planet being tied up in proving or disproving this, we can get back to the actual research for a cause and cure. MOO.
 
His study hasn't actually been discredited - only by the drug companies, and medical establishment.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-259519/Dr-Wakefield-shamefully-discredited.html


From the article I linked.

The Lancet has said it should not have published the study in the first place, and various other studies have failed to corroborate Wakefield's hypothesis.

Clearly if his tests were accurate, they would have been able to be duplicated, no?

I honestly didn't post the link to 'debate' whether or not his theory was accurate, but more so the unethical measures he took in his research. IF what the article I linked is true and he took measures such as paying his sons friends to donate blood without parental consent, clearly the guy has some lose marbles and has no clear recognition of what is or is not acceptable with regards to boundaries with medical research. That alone would make me as a parent run quickly in the opposite direction and not let this guy anywhere near my child.

jmo
 
I am not sure what to think. i am not smart or informed enough on Autism or vaccines to know. I have heard with the use of the vaccine the diagnosis of autism went up but could it be that autsim at around the same time finally got a name and was better recognized? maybe in ealier times autism was just grouped with being mentally retarded (forgive me if that is offensive, i couldn't find another way to word it) even though obviously they are not one in the same? I am pretty sure it was around in 50's and 60's but just wasn't recognized as it is today explaining the jump in cases of autism. if the vaccines were causing it, wouldn't there be many more cases?
 
Big money to be made in vaccines.
There has been a witch hunt against this Doctor for a long time. A lot of GMC decisions make no sense whatsoever
But in the grand scheme of things the pharmaceutical companies and medical industry would make more money to treat measles, mumps, or rubella? Or any disease we ger vaccinated for? IDK was just thinking on it. I honestly don't know one way or another, it just stands to reason desease treatment makes more money than prevention.
 
I have doubted it since day one. Autism is a neurological disorder. Can't be caused or triggered by vaccines....JMO

I don't know a lot about autism, so I have a question. I understand that it is a neurological disorder, but I've heard people say that their children were progressing normally, interacting normally, and then suddenly withdrew and lost skills. If I understand correctly, other disorders, like muscular disorders, often let a child progress to a certain point and then begin to regress, but the disorder is frequently diagnoised before or soon after the regression begins, and sometimes at birth....and the regression is more gradual.

My question is, doesn't the sudden onset with rapid loss of interaction and skills point to "something" happening? It just doesn't sound like a condition the children are born with.

I have a friend with MS, and she told me no one knows why it happens, no one knows what triggers it; I may be reading more into what she said than she meant, but to me, it sounds as though the current understanding of MS is that it is triggered by something, they just don't know what.
 
I am not sure what to think. i am not smart or informed enough on Autism or vaccines to know. I have heard with the use of the vaccine the diagnosis of autism went up but could it be that autsim at around the same time finally got a name and was better recognized? maybe in ealier times autism was just grouped with being mentally retarded (forgive me if that is offensive, i couldn't find another way to word it) even though obviously they are not one in the same? I am pretty sure it was around in 50's and 60's but just wasn't recognized as it is today explaining the jump in cases of autism. if the vaccines were causing it, wouldn't there be many more cases?

As I explained in my earlier post, I don't know a whole lot about autism, so large grain of salt may be taken while reading this!

I know three children with autism. The first is now in his early 20's. He did not develop any language or social skills until he was entered into school. He now speaks----although his language is childlike in the wording, like "Ben wants french fries" instead of "I want french fries." He is a bright young man, he seems to have a special gift when it comes to spatial problems---he can glance at something and tell you if it will fit in the space provided, sometimes there is only a millimeter or two difference in the sizes, but Ben's got it right, every time.He is able to take complex items apart and put them back together. His parents have been told he will never hold a job, he does not make eye contact, and can be downright dangerous when he is agitated. He will never be able to live alone; he will need life-long help to survive in this world. He is considered to be severely autistic....that's the wrong terminology, but it means his life is severely impacted by the autism.

The second child is a girl. She's in her mid-teens. She has not picked up any language skills and spends most of her time rocking back and forth and twirling her hair. She is at the worst end of the spectrum. She cooperates with virtually no interaction with others, and has not picked up even basic skills. For instance, she is in diapers and does not comb her own hair or brush her teeth. Her parents have been told that she will need life-long care.

The third child is a little girl, age three. She reads at a second grade level, apparently self taught. She does not initiate conversations, although she will repeat what she hears, and she does read aloud. She solves complex math problems, is potty trained and can cooperate with others enough to attend preschool----although she doesn't make friends. There is high hope that this child may live a life that includes working at a regular job and living alone, but only time will tell.

The third little girl is probably of gifted intelligence. The mid-teen, nobody knows. No one has been able to "reach" through her autism and test her. The young man in his 20's seems to have ONE area of great ability, and is average in others.

On the other end of the autism spectrum is aspergers' syndrome. I also know a young man who was diagnosed with this condition when he was in 8th grade. He is definitely of gifted intelligence, and his intelligence extends to all areas of learning. He is currently in honors level courses in college and doing very well. The only way you can "see" the asperger's is to note his lack of social skills. When he comes to visit, he merely opens the door and walks in---doesn't see any reason to knock! He does not sit down, but paces back and forth, looking at the ground, while conversing with me. He CAN make eye-contact, but it is sporadic, and he seems to have to really work at it. If you were not to notice his unannounced entry or the fact that he has to pace while talking, you would never tell by the conversation alone that anything was different about him. I love to discuss books with him, because he always has the best, right on target, most interesting things to say!

All of this.....whew, I am long-winded, huh?.....is to say that just like there is an autism spectrum, the children/adults affected by this disorder have a wide spectrum of intelligence and ability to communicate. So it seems logical to me that in earlier times, a child who could not make their intelligence known might well have been considered mentally retarded.
 
But in the grand scheme of things the pharmaceutical companies and medical industry would make more money to treat measles, mumps, or rubella? Or any disease we ger vaccinated for? IDK was just thinking on it. I honestly don't know one way or another, it just stands to reason desease treatment makes more money than prevention.

Yes, but, vaccinating all as opposed to treating only those that get sick, probably would be more lucrative. jmo of course.
 
I understand why so many parents of autistic children believe the vaccine cause it. I have a very close friend with twin boys. Those boys were on target developmentally, they were engaged, speaking words and obviously fully attached and had a very loving bond with their parents. I witnessed myself that right after their 2 year old vaccines...they were none of those things. They had completely shut down. One child is severe and the other was mildly effected. It's very hard to claim that vaccines didn't cause it..or that some genetic, environmental cause coupled with the vaccines.
 
I understand why so many parents of autistic children believe the vaccine cause it. I have a very close friend with twin boys. Those boys were on target developmentally, they were engaged, speaking words and obviously fully attached and had a very loving bond with their parents. I witnessed myself that right after their 2 year old vaccines...they were none of those things. They had completely shut down. One child is severe and the other was mildly effected. It's very hard to claim that vaccines didn't cause it..or that some genetic, environmental cause coupled with the vaccines.

ITA Linda!! It's frightening!!

[video=youtube;Dh-nkD5LSIg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-nkD5LSIg[/video]
 
Yes, but, vaccinating all as opposed to treating only those that get sick, probably would be more lucrative. jmo of course.
good point, not everyone will get the disease, everyone will get the vaccine though.

All of this.....whew, I am long-winded, huh?.....is to say that just like there is an autism spectrum, the children/adults affected by this disorder have a wide spectrum of intelligence and ability to communicate. So it seems logical to me that in earlier times, a child who could not make their intelligence known might well have been considered mentally retarded.
Thank you, excellent post on the subject. it was kinda what I was trying to say. At one time these children would have just been deemed "mentally retarded" or "emotionally disturbed". In a different time, the young girl you spoke of would be in a home at a doctor's urging, God bless her family as it must have been a rough life for them and frighetening to think of the future.
 
I have seen a lot of people that jump on the vaccine bandwagon simply because the autism rates spiked and the required vaccines had spiked just years before.
The problem with this lies in our knowledge of autism. Children that even 15 years ago would have been labelled severely mentally retarded and beyond help, are now labelled autistic, moderate chance of improvement. The autism diagnosis rate has skyrocketed, but the mental retardation from unknown cause diagnosis has all but vanished. That's the evolution of medicine, IMO. The vaccines have never seemed to really factor into it too much.

As for the doc himself, he disgusts me. He apparently did spinal taps and colonoscopies on children during his testing...now the colonoscopies at least make some sort of sense, since his theory did say that the vaccines were also causing digestive issues. Not that it makes it any better to do an invasive and potentially dangerous procedure for no apparent reason, but there was some sort of purpose there. I can't for the life of me figure out why spinal taps would be needed. Those poor kids. Spinal taps are incredibly painful and I think you have to be awake for them.
 
I saw this on the news today and thought it quite interesting. In my son's case, autism is hereditary. His dad, grandfather, and uncle all have Asperger's.
 
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist...

This is the very first reason that I doubted it. He has no specialty in neurological disorders. Or sensory issues, or processing.

The other reason I doubted it is that my stepfather, who had Asperger's, was raised in the U.S and Austria, and was never vaccinated, and my son, classical autistic, had his first language spike and regression before the bulk of the vaccines were given (he didn't get his six months shots on time for medical reasons.)
Couple that with the fact that as more parents are choosing not vaccinate, we should see a drop in the autism rates, however, we aren't. In fact, the stats look worse every day.

I really hope that now, instead of every researcher on the planet being tied up in proving or disproving this, we can get back to the actual research for a cause and cure. MOO.

He also was looking at GASTROINTESTINAL issues with the vaccination. Let's be honest when we're discussing credentials.


What do you do with this little factoid? 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism (1 in 90 if boys are isolated), in the generally vaccinated public.

1 in 10,000 children are diagnosed with autism in an amish community of about 50/50 vaccinated (look it up, there are tons of references to it online) Less than 10% of the population are giving zero vaccinations (although I am in that camp, and I can tell you how much better my daughter's health is than any - and I mean ANY of her peers).

I personally, don't think it is really legitimate to say because more and more people aren't vaccinating the rates should be going down, until it reaches a higher level and consistent level of nonvaccinated vs. vaccinated kids, and until the pharmaceuticals don't control the studies.

what I find fascinating is the idea that we have no idea what causes it - but we are damn sure it's not the up to THIRTY TWO plus vaccinations a child receives by the time they are six.
 
He also was looking at GASTROINTESTINAL issues with the vaccination. Let's be honest when we're discussing credentials.


What do you do with this little factoid? 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism (1 in 90 if boys are isolated), in the generally vaccinated public.

1 in 10,000 children are diagnosed with autism in an amish community of about 50/50 vaccinated (look it up, there are tons of references to it online) Less than 10% of the population are giving zero vaccinations (although I am in that camp, and I can tell you how much better my daughter's health is than any - and I mean ANY of her peers).

I personally, don't think it is really legitimate to say because more and more people aren't vaccinating the rates should be going down, until it reaches a higher level and consistent level of nonvaccinated vs. vaccinated kids, and until the pharmaceuticals don't control the studies.

what I find fascinating is the idea that we have no idea what causes it - but we are damn sure it's not the up to THIRTY TWO plus vaccinations a child receives by the time they are six.
The problem with looking at the unvaccinated Amish community is that there are other environmental differences that don't make them a good control group. Their foods, their medical care, their very physical environments set them apart. A control group would be needed of children exposed to the same environments, with the only factor of note that was different being the vaccines. In the samples available in the general public, there is very little change. I agree with you, it's hard to have a legitimate study with the figures available to work with.
I'm not going to argue over vaccinating or not. At this point, I still consider choosing not to a personal choice instead of an indepth medical decision.

I really hope that they take his license, as his methods prove that he shouldn't be anywhere near kids. Ever.
 

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