Andrew Wakefield
Dr Andrew Wakefield was a researcher who was the first to suggest that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) combined vaccine might be linked to an increased risk of autism and bowel disorders. In 1998 Wakefield and eleven others published a peer reviewed paper in the Lancet which consisted of a case review of 12 children sequentially referred to London's Royal Free Hospital, where Wakefield was a reader in experimental gastroenterology. The paper said that the children, who all had some inflammatory bowel problems, had in the main developed regressive autism.[1]
Wakefield commented that the children's behaviour changed drastically shortly after they received the MMR jab. He said: "This is a genuinely new syndrome and urgent further research is needed to determine whether MMR may give rise to this complication in a small number of people."[2]
Wakefield theorised that the combination of the three virus strains contained in MMR may overload the body's immune system and cause the bowel disorder to develop.[3]
The publicity following the paper's publication resulted in a dramatic fall in public uptake of the MMR vaccine.[4]
GMC hearing
In January 2010, the results of a three-year investigation by the General Medical Council into the conduct of Wakefield and two other doctors from his MMR research team, Professor Simon Murch and Professor John Walker-Smith, were announced:
Notes
- ↑ Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, ıand pervasive developmental disorder in children. A J Wakefield, S H Murch, A Anthony, J Linnell, D M Casson, M Malik, M Berelowitz, A P Dhillon, M A Thomson, P Harvey, A Valentine, S E Davies, J A Walker-Smith. The Lancet, Volume 351, Number 9103 28 February 1998
- ↑ MMR research timeline, BBC News Online, 4 Feb 08, acc 26 May 2010
- ↑ MMR research timeline, BBC News Online, 4 Feb 08, acc 26 May 2010
- ↑ Nick Allen, MMR-autism link doctor Andrew Wakefield defends conduct at GMC hearing, The Telegraph, 27 Mar 08, acc 26 May 2010
