The MMR Vaccine and Autism: An Interview with Dr. Andrew Wakefield

Dan Murphy, DC—

Private Practice of Chiropractic;
Diplomate American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedist;
Faculty Life Chiropractic College West;
Vice President ICA 2003-2009;

ICA Chiropractor of the Year 2009

INTRODUCTION

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and 12 colleagues from the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group, University Department of Medicine, Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine, London, UK, published a study in the journal Lancet. Twelve children with a normal history developed behavioral symptoms including loss of acquired skills, including language, together with diarrhea and abdominal pain. In 8 of 12 cases, parents associated their child’s symptoms with receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination (MMR). These children (all twelve) then underwent gastroenterological, neurological, and developmental assessment and review of developmental records. Additionally, ileocolonoscopy and biopsy sampling, magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and lumbar puncture was performed. All 12 children showed intestinal abnormalities of various types. Dr. Wakefield and colleagues interpreted their results as:

“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.”

'Scientific' Persecution

Even with such an innocuous interpretation, a persecution against the authors, especially Dr. Wakefield began. The persecution was often driven by UK journalist, Brian Deer. The ultimate consequence was the retraction of Dr. Wakefield’s 1998 study by the editors of Lancet along with a public discrediting of Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues.

I went to the National Library of Medicine and typed “Wakefield AJ and Vaccine” into the PubMed search engine (www.pubmed.com). Sixteen publications were identified spanning 1995–2009. All 16 of these publications pertained to various problems associated with vaccinations.

In an effort to exonerate his reputation and that of his colleagues, and to protect the health of children worldwide, Dr. Wakefield wrote a book titled Callous Disregard; Autism and Vaccines—The Truth Behind a Tragedy, which was published last year 2010 (Skyhorse Publishing). This book tells a very different story as to the persecution of Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues by the pro-vaccination medical establishment, and exposes the official spinning of unpopular science and conclusions.

Sadly, caught in the middle of this debate is the health of the world's children.

I believe that all parents should read this book prior to vaccinating their children.

MY INTERVIEW WITH DR. WAKEFIELD

On March 3, 2011, I interviewed Dr. Andrew Wakefield on the relationship between the MMR vaccination and autism. These are his responses to my queries.

• Is the MMR vaccine necessary?

No. The measles might be, but the MMR together is not. The mumps in particular is never necessary. This is not my opinion, it is also the position of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, and the Department of Health UK. The mumps vaccine pushes the age of susceptibility upwards, with greater adverse consequences in the adult population. The MMR vaccine has never been tested for safety. The MMR vaccine is dangerous.

• Do you believe the parents who claim that MMR vaccine caused their child’s autism?

Yes, I believe those parents.

• Is there any proof that MMR vaccine causes autism?

No, there is no proof. That issue requires further investigation.

• There are studies that claim that the MMR vaccine is not a cause of autism. Do you have any comment on those studies?

Yes, I am aware of those studies. Those studies were not performed well and those studies were not fairly reported. In fact there is evidence in studies that are reported as a negative association between MMR vaccine and autism that actually show that the younger the child at time of vaccination the greater the risk of autism.

• Why is there so much controversy pertaining to the MMR vaccine? Why would medical authorities and public health officials push so hard for all children to receive the MMR vaccine and so vigorously attempt to discredit opposite cautionary opinions such as yours?

This occurs primarily for three reasons:

1. Fear of accountability,
2. Blind faith,
3. Commercial imperative,

[We discussed how there is literally billions of dollars at stake on this issue].

• Please comment on the criticism of the ethics of your research:

I have been criticized for not securing proper ethical approval for the investigations I performed on the initial 12 children subjects. This is completely false in that what I did was a clinical trial, and ethical approval is not necessary for a clinical trial.

The biopsies I performed did require ethical approval, and I have parental signed ethical approvals on 100% of the children who were subjected to biopsy.

• Why does reporter Brian Deer claim that you did not have these ethical approvals?

Brian Deer knew I had the appropriate ethical approvals, he has copies of them. I believe he did not tell the truth about them because it would kill his story. Brian Deer withheld this information from the medical board [GMC = General Medical Council].

• Why would Brian Deer do such a thing?

I am unsure, other than understanding that Brian Deer has a close relationship with drug maker GlaxoSmithKline. [GlaxoSmithKline is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's third largest drug company].

NOTES FROM DAN MURPHY:

Autism officially afflicts 1/110 children in the United States.

Autism officially afflicts 1/64 children in the United Kingdom.

A recent (2011) interesting review article titled Theoretical Aspects of Autism: Causes—A Review was published January 2011 in the Journal of Immunotoxicology. The author notes a spike in autism worldwide following the release of the MMR II vaccine, and proposes a scary mechanism to explain the spike. I have posted my review of this article to my Article Review service.

On the top of the copyright page of Dr. Wakefield’s book, in a large font and in bold capitol letters is a box containing these words:

NOTE TO ALL CUSTOMERS:

NOT FOR SALE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

In the United States, Dr. Wakefield’s book can be purchased from many sources, including from the bookstore at Life Chiropractic College West: (510) 780-4500, and ask for the bookstore, or dial the bookstore direct at (510) 780-4502.

References

1. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, Linnell J, Casson DM, Malik M, Berelowitz M, Dhillon AP, Thomson MA, Harvey P, Valentine A, Davies SE, Walker-Smith JA. Lancet. 1998 Feb 28;351(9103):637-41.
2. Wakefield, A. Callous Disregard; Autism and Vaccines—The Truth Behind a Tragedy, Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
3. Ratajczak HV. Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes—A review. J Immunotoxicol. 2011 Jan-Mar;8(1):68-79.