Britain bans doctor who linked autism to vaccine

Associated Press ^ | May 24,2010 | MARIA CHENG

[DJ MacWoW]

LONDON (AP) - Britain's top medical group on Monday banned a doctor whose research suggesting a link between a common vaccine and autism caused millions of parents worldwide to abandon the shot for measles, mumps and rubella.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield was the first to publish peer-reviewed research suggesting such a connection, even though the study was later widely discredited. The ruling by Britain's General Medical Council found him guilty of serious professional misconduct.

Wakefield, 53, then moved to the U.S. and set up an autism center in Texas, where he has a wide following, but faces similar skepticism from the medical community. The ruling in Britain only applies to his right to practice medicine in the U.K., not in other countries.

[DJ MacWoW]

Ten of the study's authors later renounced its conclusions and it was retracted by the Lancet in February.

So a group of doctors publish a peer reviewed study, the stuff hits the fan and they run.

[C19fan]

The problem is in peer review you did not dig deep down into the actual data so you are trusting the authors are being honest.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[DJ MacWoW]

This also wasn’t just 1 doctor. There were 10 or more. When pressure was applied, they recanted the study.

[C19fan]

A lot of these multi-author studies is just pure padding of one’s resume.

[4rcane]

who knows which is the truth. The establishment may be in error and the lone genius who everyone called the kook maybe correct. Not the first time this has happened in history

[DJ MacWoW]

That’s what I’m thinking.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

History shows that there are a lot more kooks than lonely geniuses. You can probably count the number or true lonely geniuses on one hand, while just about any small university or college has scores of kooks.

[Spok]

Politics and science shouldn’t mix. Scientists should be cautious when they enter into any area in which there are political forces at work, pro or con. With government managing heatlhcare, doctors will have to tread lightly, and realize that political expedience trumps public safety.

[Wayne07]

You might have thought that when this kook first came out with his faked studies, but now that they are debunked, there is no excuse. He has caused a lot of damage and is responsible for many children dying because they weren’t vaccinated.

[DJ MacWoW]

Yes. government run healthcare is so honest! /s

[Crim]

Sometimes kooks are on to something...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US-autism-6-17-1996-2007.png

A five fold increase in a decade isnt anecdotal

[Wayne07]

Will vaccines didn’t start in 1996 so that should be a clue that they aren’t the cause.

[Wayne07]

autism caused by vaccines = global warming caused by humans. I’m sure the government is happy to support whatever lie gives them more power.

[DJ MacWoW]

You do understand that mistakes are made and then covered up, right?

SV40 stands for Simian Virus 40

The Forty Year Legacy Of Tainted Polio Vaccine

[Mase]

Peer Review is the heart of the system but it has become a major part of the problem. This fraud is being caused by the all consuming pursuit for money.

It wasn't that long ago that peer reviewers were tough to get by and they remained anonymous. The crap that passes for science today would never have gotten by them. Again, the money grab is to blame. Today, everyone knows who is doing the reviewing. There are still some solid journals out there, in a sea of second-rate literature, but the process is a mess.

[DJ MacWoW]

You can be gullible and trust government. It’s your choice. But see post 15.

[DJ MacWoW]

That may all be true. But post 15 had nothing to do with the basic vaccine. And then there was the coverup.......

[Wayne07]

I never said trust the government, there is real science that says vaccines are safe, and the main study that says there was a link has been debunked. This guy is a charlatan who preys on vulnerable people (people who feel guilty about having autistic kids). But he is causing a bigger problem - the spread of real infectious disease. I recommend this article for a good overview on the issue:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience/

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“many children dying”

from mumps? from measles? from rubella?

had ‘em all. they’re nothing.