Vaccine/autism Doc faces hearing: took blood from kids

[MonkeyFunk]

LONDON - The doctor behind a controversial study linking a common children's vaccine to autism went before an investigative panel Monday probing misconduct allegations, including whether he took blood samples from children at a birthday party.

Britain's General Medical Council is examining claims that Dr. Andrew Wakefield failed to disclose his links to autism litigators and conducted the study without proper ethical approval. Wakefield denies any misconduct.


...

But the study was soon discredited, and 10 of its 13 authors have since renounced its conclusions. The Lancet also said it should not have published the study, saying Wakefield's links to litigation against the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine were a "fatal conflict of interest."

In addition to Wakefield, two other authors of the paper — John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch — are being investigated by the medical council.

more at:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19787744/

[mzmolly]

1. Conflict of interest.

But the study was soon discredited, and 10 of its 13 authors have since renounced its conclusions. The Lancet also said it should not have published the study, saying Wakefield's links to litigation against the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine were a "fatal conflict of interest."

One is only allowed such a conflict if the $$ comes from drug manufacturers. *tsk tsk Dr. Wakefield.

Interesting how they are pursuing these doctors just before major litigation?

Recommended, because this is an important topic. Thanks.

[rucky]

2. What sucks is...

now it's that much easier to write-off the whole study.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. the whole study has

already been written off.

Did you read the OP? 10 of 13 of the study's authors have renounced the results.

[rucky]

6. crikey! sending to wife...

then hopefully, sending daughter to doctor for vaccinations.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. yikes!

your daughter wasn't vaccinated based on this study?!

[rucky]

20. Not this study...a book that cites several studies.

most outdated by now.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. LOL

[SidDithers]

4. K&R...

any comment from RFK Jr.?

Sid

[MannyGoldstein]

7. His Ethics Are As Good As His Science

A fair number of big and good studies have shown that there's zero link between autism (or "autism", since all sorts of stuff is called autism these days) and vaccines with or without thimerosal. These studies have been conducted throughout Europe and the US.

There's no question that docs, to some degree, aim their characterization of results based on where the money is. But a lot of the research has been done in the Scandinavian countries where there's less of that nonsense - and if there was a link, there's be no way to conceal it over this many studies.

The shame is that some kids are not getting vaccines because their parents are terrorized by utterly unwarranted hypothesis - and while kids don't get autism/"autism" from vaccines, they absolutely get sick, and sometimes die, from not getting vaccines. Bad stuff.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. Yep

it's so funny how people weigh different risks. They read about one (now discredited)report about a possible link between vaccines and autism, and then decide that measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc. are more acceptable risks.

[Kingshakabobo]

8. Fucking vampire... in more ways than one. n/t

[Kali]

9. interesting

[toddaa]

12. Infectious disease always spreads much better when coupled with human stupidity

Hopefully, no one died because of the "doctor".

[MonkeyFunk]

13. sadly

I'm sure some did.

That study was used widely to promote fear of vaccines. I hope those kids who're paralyzed for life due to polio can forgive him (and their parents).

[LeftishBrit]

14. Or the parents of kids who have disablities, including autism, as a result of maternal rubella..

[MonkeyFunk]

15. wow... can maternal rubella cause autism?

[LeftishBrit]

17. Yes; it's one of the rather few known environmental causes

4 to 8 per cent of children with maternal rubella have autism.

Of course, there are many other disabilities that can result from prenatal exposure to this illness.

[toddaa]

18. There's some serious irony for you

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. 2006: Decline in MMR uptake blamed for measles death

A FALL in the number of parents allowing their children to have the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been blamed for a resurgence of measles that has claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy.

More people have been infected in the first three months of this year than the whole of 2005, and at least 30 children have caught measles in a single outbreak in South Yorkshire.

The teenager is Britain’s first fatality in 14 years.

Immunisation rates here, eight years after the first scare over the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are among the lowest in Western Europe. Fears that the triple jab could lead to autism caused take-up to fall from over 90 per cent in 1998 to less than 80 per cent two years ago. Currently, 81 per cent of children have the combined vaccine before they are two; many European countries achieve the 95 per cent coverage recommended by the World Health Organisation to prevent outbreaks.

The 13-year-old who died last month lived in a travellers’ community. It is thought that he had a weakened immune system; he was being treated for a lung condition. The boy died of an infection of the central nervous system caused by a reaction to the measles virus. The Health Protection Agency described his death as shocking.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article701459.ece

[xchrom]

19. yes -- i was going to post about the same thing.

both england and ireland have issued official warnings to people about listening to people like wakefield.

there are some very strange and really deadly people out there using what amounts to voodoo trying to chip away at good public health medical practices.

[MonkeyFunk]

21. Isn't that the saddest thing?

and they do it for the same reasons people attack "big pharma": to make money.