Worse than Murder. The Bogus Association Between Vaccinations and Autism

Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive.

Walter Scott

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/648755.html

The medical world was shaken 10 years ago by an article in the Lancet that purportedly demonstrated a link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The article is directly responsible for dramatic decreases in vaccination rates, and subsequent return of measles, mumps and rubella. In what may be one of the worst scandals in medical history, the data was actually forged by one Dr. Wakefield, a British researcher.

In the article cited today, the authors contend he did it for the money. It appears he was working for plaintiff attorneys planning to make fortunes suing the vaccine makers and the government. Heinous as this action is, I don't think this article, the press, the medical establishment or the government appreciate the severity of this crime, which could lead to the death of thousands.

Autism is a terrifying diagnosis that can devastate both the patient and the family. It strikes at the most hopeful and innocent of times, without apparent cause or blame. Lives are changed forever, and dreams that we have for our children are dashed. Cases are being diagnosed with increased frequency, and the medical establishment hasn't any answers. It is therefore understandable that the grieving parents are looking for anything or anyone to blame.

Vaccines are a natural culprit. They are given around the same time as onset of symptoms, can cause irritability, and represent an outside intervention that shifts the blame from parental responsibility. What I don't think Dr. Wakefield understood was how dramatically his paper would galvanize a wide range of groups, that seized on this bogus association to reject both vaccinations and all of western medicine. Fearful parents and advocates of “natural healing” were joined by rapacious lawyers and alternative practitioners eager to exploit the financial opportunities. The anti-vaccine movement, promulgated by scholars and intellectual giants like Jenny McCarthy, aided by a sympathetic press, convinced thousands to forgo vaccinations.

The implications are grim, hundreds, perhaps thousands of children will die or be crippled. Measles, mumps and rubella are not benign diseases. Measles can kill, and leave behind brain damage. I have seen the sequela of congenital rubella, and they are terrible.

Just as importantly, huge amounts of money and effort have been expended trying to disprove this association that could have gone toward discovering the actual causes of autism. How much more suffering may be caused by this diversion of resources?

My emotion here is beyond anger. I can understand fudging data to get tenure or make a sale, human nature being what it is. However lying about research for personal gain that results in the death and suffering of thousands is a crime that deserves a new name. I will call it scientific medicide.