Many of the greatest medical tragedies involve babies and children. Adults feel that they are responsible for children’s safety and well being, even when what happened was beyond any human’s control.

(Ed. Note: The following is from a BBC story. We are quoting more from this story than is standard practice because this issue is so important, because The Lancet has not provided a summary online and because children’s lives have been and continue to be affected.)

In 2004, the prestigious British journal, The Lancet, published a provocative study which seemed to establish a connection between the MMWR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism and bowel disease.

Other researchers, the BBC story says, did not find that connection, discrediting the original study’s finding.

This one study led to a firestorm about vaccines which continues up to this minute. I know of a pediatric practice which has a sign posted alerting parents to the vaccine policy.  In effect, the sign says that if you will not vaccinate your children, you will need to find another practice.

Vaccination rates “plummeted,” according to the BBC, resulting in a rise in cases of measles. Measles can cause serious consequences.

The lead researcher, Andrew Wakefield, M.D., had a major conflict of interest.

“He was in the pay of solicitors acting for parents who believed the vaccine had harmed their children.”

There is no more resounding rejection of a scientific study than for the journal which published it to declare, “We fully retract this paper from the published record.” Lancet editors did exactly that this week.

In addition to that retraction, the BBC reports that the Lancet editors wrote, “Last week, the GMC ruled that Dr Wakefield had shown a “callous disregard” for children and acted “dishonestly” while he carried out his research.”

Desperate, angry or frightened family members want to understand what happened to their family members or close friends.

However, in this case, their drive to protect other children has, in fact, harmed many—the opposite of their goal.

Dr. Wakefield rejects all charges and now lives in America, says this report.

BBC

Source: BBC, Online Edition, February 2, 2010