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February 7, 2009
The Lie that Started It All: Doctor Who Claimed MMR Caused Autism Falsified Reports
In 1998, Doctor Andrew Wakefield published a report in The Lancet medical journal claiming the MMR vaccine caused Autism in 8 out of 12 children within days of receiving the vaccine.  This set off a scare that caused a drop in vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella from 92% to 80%.  While this doesn't seem like much, a population requires 95% vaccination to receive "hurd immunity".  Well, as the Times Online reported, the doctor falsified reports in the journal entry.  There was only one case where autism-like symptoms occurred within days of the shot, while the rest had concerns about their behavior before the vaccination was given.  So why is this particularly disappointing?  Because it was a doctor that gave this information.  A doctor, who threatened thousands of children with childhood measles, mumps, and rubella, because he caused an unnecessary scare and untrue link to a genetic condition.  But the damage doesn't stop at those children at risk because they were never vaccinated for these deadly diseases..  N0, he set Autism research and treatment back 20 years by convincing people that vaccinations were the cause of Autism.  So instead of research scientists checking on development of the brain during this period, they were distracted by angry parents duped by this one doctor.  The pain isn't in those children at risk, but those children who with autism, whose development was stunted as people squabble over the actual cause.  Parents would then claim that if they skipped shots, ate only tea leaves, or stood on their heads to "get the toxins out" would improve, even though the children still had obsessive, repetitive behaviors quite typical of autistic children.  Their children were not being "cured", but rather their brains were performing the miracle it is so capable of doing:  It was learning and developing in spite of the increased neurons in their brains.  I sincerely hope that Doctor Wakefield understands the full impact this little desire to get published has had on the world, and on the Autism community.  I hope, somewhere, he is reading this post and realizes the pain that he has caused parents of those precious children with the unique and diverse qualities resulting from having a more dense brain than "normal" children.  Sir, shame on you.
Very interesting post. Why is it that there are lots of people who likes falsified news or study? They don't know the effect it would bring, like getting scared or many would panic and all of those scenarios. Hope they would try to be clean with the info they release.
Thanks for your post! Yes, it's frustrating when "trusted professionals" let their biases cloud their judgement. It makes me angry, frustrated, and downright spitting mad when I see doctors use the fear and uncertainty of people as a method for fame and wealth.
Im a parent of a severly austitic boy. I believe with all my heart that the mmr shot caused my son to be like this, there is no doubt in my mind. The only thing that gets on my nerves is the government knows this and they wont say its true. My son was doing normal things until he got his mmr shot. IT took 1 to 2 years before i could get him a referral at ccad, for it to be wrote on paper by a dr. that he was autistic.[ all the signs of autism was there.] I fight everday for things that would help him and i will till the day i die. DR. WAKEFIELD is fould a link and i believe it to be true, and he spoke out about it and the government and other dr.s want to punish him for telling the truth.
Thank you for posting Sharon. Believe me when I say that I know what you were going through. When my son was diagnosed after developing normally until the age of two, my wife and I had a long discussion. We did our research, looking up the many claims against the MMR shot, and other claimed causes of Autism. I did not know who Dr. Wakefield was before, and none of the studies I had read referenced him at all. They were all double-blind, clinical studies that tested the claims of the MMR vaccine causing Autism. In all studies, it was shown that the MMR vaccine was not a factor (I have several posts on the subject relating to the causes of autism, the arguments of glutamate, etc. if you care to get links to the research material).
The current research identifies autism as two-fold: the lack of pruning or slow pruning in the brain, which in neurotypical children begins roughly at age 2 (about the same time they get the MMR shot), and an increase of neuron development resulting in larger or more dense brain tissue. Both of these conditions can be caused by a mutation in any one of now 20 identified genes, all of which are currently under study.
I know it's difficult to deal with the realization that your child is autistic. I've been there, I've gone through the pain. My son was diagnosed at 3 and is now nearly 5. I still tear up when I see neurotypical children and their parents, I even wonder sometimes why it happened to my family. But I want you to know that the research has pointed to a completely different condition than heavy metal poisoning. That was reinforced in my mind when Dr. Wakefield was exposed as a fraud who has been preying on the fears and uncertainty that is Autism, as outlined in the news article I linked to in this post. That alone has discredited him as a doctor in my mind. His only punishment comes from his own making, it is not a conspiracy against him.
I'm glad you will do anything and everything to help your autistic child. They are very special, and have been given very special gifts. They just need a little help in coping with our world of intense stimuli. I'm sure your local psychologist, neuropsychologist, or therapist will have the information that is best for him. If you do have any questions on the research, feel free to post again!