MMR and autism - finally debunked

[Nik]

http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347.full


Fascinating stuff from this week's BMJ, providing background to the now infamous paper published back in The Lancet in 1998.

[Nik]

How the vaccine crisis was meant to make money -- Deer 342 -- bmj.com

Part 2 of Brian Deers investigation. If anybody wants a more reader friendly pdf version of these articles just pm me and I can provide. Makes for very interesting reading.

[crit care]

i never did think there was a linkt o ebgin with..the trials wakefield did to begin with were so small, i don't know how he came up with a conclusion from them.....and yet it probably put so many parents off from using the MMR in their kids!

[Nik]

and yet it probably put so many parents off from using the MMR in their kids!

No probably about it - part 2 of the article interestingly notes that after MMR was discontinued in Japan, research was published to show that the incidence of autism diagnoses over there continued to rise. The point about trial numbers is important though - how the paper managed to get through the Lancet editorial board is baffling, particularly when looking back at the paper the design, trial methods and HUGE conflicting interest all led to a flawed "research". However, thoroughly conducted research was not Wakefield's motive - his interest was in the lawsuits filed against the vaccine manufacturers.

[Nik]

The Lancet's two days to bury bad news -- Deer 342 -- bmj.com

Part 3 - don't know how many more parts there will be