25 years after the MMR vaccine autism fraud, we’re still dealing with the consequences

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25 years after the MMR vaccine autism fraud, we’re still dealing with the consequences
Stewart Richie

The MMR scare was based on a fraudulent study. What have we learned since it was published?

We’ve reached a very ignominious anniversary. Today, the infamous study that claimed to link the MMR vaccine to autism, published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet in 1998, is exactly twenty-five years old.

The study, led by the British doctor Andrew Wakefield, was a report of twelve children aged 3-10 years who’d shown regressions in their social and language skills – characteristics of autism. Eight of them had apparently displayed these symptoms just after being given the MMR – the vaccine against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. The children also had a variety of gut-related complaints. Wakefield’s theory was that there was a new condition, called “autistic enterocolitis”: the MMR vaccine caused intestinal disturbances that were toxic to the developing brain.

https://inews.co.uk/news/mmr-vaccines-autism-fraud-consequences-25-years-2176794

 

It's really incredible how Horton gets no blame at all. Wakefield did not self-publish. Horton published it in his journal. And the editorial board had to approve it. He defended it. Said the same rubbish he parrots about PACE, lambasted his critics even though they were right and he was wrong.

And he kept his job. In fact pretty much did something just as awful and harmful with PACE, likely not the only instance as this looks like a pattern.

I don't get this blame-free culture. It feels so... business-like. Like CEOS who keep commanding multi-million dollar income despite ruining companies. Makes no sense. Clearly someone's benefitting from all of this, clearly not the patients.

 

Moved post

Slightly off topic - apologies to the mods - but an article below was interesting too: https://thecritic.co.uk/the-disingenuous-anti-vax-blame-game/
The disingenuous anti-vax blame game - People have short memories about the MMR scare

I wasn't aware that Richard Horton published Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent study linking the MMR vaccine to gastrointestinal disease and autism in The Lancet as well as PACE. And is STILL the editor.