Doctor Who Linked Autism and Vaccines Faked Data

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Feb 11th 2009 2:00PM

Categories: Medical Conditions, Development

In 1998, the medical journal The Lancet published a paper that claimed there was a clear link between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) and autism. As a result, parents of autistic children began clamoring for changes in the vaccines and in the vaccination schedule for infants and toddlers.

Unfortunately, the study's data was faked to create the appearance of a link between vaccines and autism. According to the Sunday Times of London, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the researcher behind the vaccine-autism claim, "changed and misreported results in his research."

Dr. Wakefield's research, which set off a firestorm of activism and scared parents into avoiding immunization, looked at 12 children vaccinated in the same British clinic. The paper claimed that eight of those children began to show signs of autistic behavior within days -- sometimes hours -- of their shots. The research also claimed that the children had a never-before-seen type of inflammatory bowel disease related to their condition, caused by the measles portion of the MMR vaccine.

In fact, though, hospital and medical records for the 12 children show exactly the opposite. The majority had no bowel issues, or at least none that could be confirmed by other specialists, for one thing. But even more telling is this: Most of the children included in Dr. Wakefield's study had presented with signs of autism before they were vaccinated.

In other words, there is no causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Period.

As a result of Dr. Wakefield's research, though, vaccination rates in England have dropped precipitously in the past decade, to the point where measles is now considered an "endemic" by epidemiologists. According to the Sunday Times, "Two British children have died from measles, and others put on ventilators, while many parents of autistic children torture themselves for having let a son or daughter receive the injection."

Dr. Wakefield's study terrified a whole generation of parents out of immunizing their children, which puts all of our children at risk. It also gave parents of autistic kids one more thing to feel guilty about. Said one mother, "There's not a day go by I don't cry because of what happened. I shouldn't have took her [for the MMR], and you know everyone will say, 'Don't blame yourself', but I do. I blame myself."

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Parenting shouldn't be like that. Ever.

I have never believed in the vaccine-autism link. I have a child on the autism spectrum, and if you think a day goes by when I don't try to unravel just what might have causes his brain to develop the way it did, you would be mistaken. I have another child who is completely neurotypical, which makes this even more baffling. Both of my sons had the same vaccines, on the same schedule, administered by the same doctor and manufactured by the same drug company. In my mind, there is no link at all between the shots they had -- which protect them from deadly childhood diseases -- and my son's autism. To me, it is clear that my son's autism -- like his hair color and his long legs and his love of reading -- is encoded in his DNA.

In other words, he's autistic because that's who he is.

Linking autism to vaccines -- or to food additives or power lines or heavy metals or whatever you choose -- gives parents a scapegoat, something to rage against. And while I can see the need for that outlet, it doesn't help autistic kids at all. Using bad science to make claims about what causes medical conditions is always harmful; Wakefield's research didn't cure autism, and it didn't enable parents to help their autistic kids. It just gave all of us one more way to worry that we were failing our children, one more thing to lie awake at night feeling guilty about.

I'm glad to see the vaccine-autism link so clearly debunked. I hope that all the energy that has gone into resisting vaccines can go into learning how we can support kids and families living with autism. And I hope that parents can cross this off the list of things to fear and fret about.

Do you believe there's a link between vaccines and autism? Are you vaccinating your kids, or are you afraid of the possible consequences?

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Comments (43)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

LS 2-11-2009 @ 2:31PM

I have had my son vaccinated on the recommended schedule. And he is completely normal.

However, I do have two long-standing complaints about vaccinations. First, I think that the schedule is just too intense. Injecting that much foreign stuff into a teeny little body with a not-yet-fully developed immune system has always bothered me. I have always wondered if it is medically necessary, or simply medically expedient (necessary to strengthen the immune system vs. "do it now while you're thinking about it, rather than waiting, because life will get in the way")

The second complaint I have is non-necessary vaccinations that have been made compulsory, like the Chicken Pox vaccine. Chicken Pox is a normal childhood malady, and is it's own vaccine. When we were kids, I remember neighborhood "Chicken Pox Parties". Nobody ever died, and I believe (though I don't know the stats) that the mortality rate for Pox is incredibly low, if not nearly nonexistent in otherwise healthy children. I believe that this vaccine, as well as flu shots and others, are being pushed on us by an ever-more-frantic, can't-miss-work-to-take-care-of-the-kids society, rather than out of concern for health.

My two cents.

As for the Autism-MMR Link, I, too, have always been skeptical. The science behind it has always been sketchy and far to circumstantial for me. It reminds me of the whole "global warming" controversy. Again, growing up in the 1970's, the big climate scare was that we were going to have an Ice Age by 2000. Then in the '90's, suddenly, we're in danger of everything melting and the oceans rising 20 feet and sinking NYC. Now, the temps are dropping again. Methinks there is more to the theory that there's just too much hype, based on not enough solid science. And 'journalists' too eager to get the next big story to be bothered with the actual facts... and that leads to a lot of panic and over reaction.

windex 2-11-2009 @ 2:44PM

I do give vaccine but I to have a complaint about the intense schedule and I also do not like the new vaccines (such as the Rota Virus here in Canada) which is given simply to reduce the number of people in the hospital and to avoid missing work (costs society).

Paul Cyopick 2-11-2009 @ 2:59PM

Unfortunately, no matter how much evidence piles up, you still won't convince everyone that there is no link between autism and vaccines.

Some people still believe that the earth is flat, that the sun revolves around the earth, that evolution does not exist, or that the trip to the moon was fake. There are countless conspiracy theories out there, both well intentioned and not, but the fact remains that there will always be skeptics.

me 2-11-2009 @ 3:07PM

Yes, I'm vaccinating, and no, I have no fear. Down with pseudoscience and fear tactics. Wakefield should be locked up as far as I'm concerned.

LS 2-11-2009 @ 3:10PM

Oh, yeah, and that "doctor" who faked the study? Should be made to go to every single family who believed his lies and apologize to their faces, both for lying to them, and for intentionally giving false hope.

Before that, he should lose his license, and never be allowed near a medical facility again, unless on a gurney.

And then he should be locked in a cell and left there to rot.

Evil man.

DZ 2-11-2009 @ 4:21PM

Hi,

I grow so weary of the debating but I add my two cents when I can. I am the mother of four boys. The first two were fully vaccinated and both are on the autism spectrum. One is mildly affected and one more severe. I anticipate having to take care of both of them, even the mildly affected, for the rest of their lives. Due to the evidence of a vaccine-autism connection, I chose to not vaccinate the youngest two boys. Both of them are perfectly healthy and amazingly normal! So, yes, I do believe there is a connection, at least for me and my family, based on our genetics. Plenty, millions, of children are fully vaccinated and are not autistic, I know. But for us, it didn't work out that way. I would just like to remind those who would criticize me, that vaccinations are not 100% safe or 100% effective for 100% of children 100% of the time. There are a great many individuals that have been injured by vaccinations whether or not you are aware of them.

Karen 2-11-2009 @ 4:47PM

I'm so sorry for your family, DZ; I hope you can continue to cherish each kid for what they are. Unfortunately, the news that the doctor faked his results means that the "evidence" you based your decision on was false. I can completely understand why you don't have your two youngest vaccinated, and I can understand how you drew the connection, especially considering the betrayal of trust the study doctor performed. I work for a medical journal that doesn't publish case reports or case series (such as your sweet kids) precisely because you cannot draw conclusions about causality or expand such findings to the general population. A 50% distribution of hereditary medical conditions in a family isn't unusual, and that's what, sadly, you have seen. Good luck to all of us; I know we each do what we think is best for our children.

Paul Cyopick 2-11-2009 @ 4:50PM

First of all, let me say I wish you and your family all the best. I have a hard enough time raising three healthy children. I could only imagine how hard it is to deal with the added stress and pressure of children with special needs.

Nothing in the world is 100% effective 100% of the time. That's not the issue here. The issue is that a false belief is leading to an increase in many dangerous and preventable diseases. Also, these results should bring some form of relief to parents who by believing this falsehood feel guilty for "giving autism" to their children.

Hopefully all of the efforts that are currently anti-vaccine can be put towards finding the true cause and eventual prevention of such a misunderstood disorder like autism.

Lisa 2-11-2009 @ 4:50PM

DZ- I don't want to take anything away from your situation. I am just curious about how you can be so sure that the autism in your family has anything to do with vaccinations? There is a genetic component. According to the NIH, parents with one autistic child have a 1 in 20 chance of having another child with autism.

Donna Z. 2-11-2009 @ 6:54PM

Karen and Paul, thank you for the kind words. Lisa, I will have to respond later, hopefully tomorrow. For the past couple of hours, I have made two attempts at fully explaining my position but my power blinked off and on and lost what I had written--twice. I live in the center of the country and a windstorm is going through. I don't have the heart to make a third attempt so I will try some other time.

Donna Z. 2-12-2009 @ 12:31AM

Lisa,
I have spent the past 12 years of my life reading about the topics of autism, vaccines, and the vaccine-autism connection. That coupled with my own experience has led me to believe that our family genetics was the "loaded gun" and vaccines were the "finger that pulled the trigger" in causing my two oldest boys to be on the autism spectrum.

As I said earlier, my two oldest were fully vaccinated. The older boy, and less severely affected, received his first Hep B shot at the age of 6 months. The other boy, and more severely affected, received his first Hep B shot at the age of 2 weeks. Those Hep B shots were preserved with Thimerosal, which contained mercury, a known neurotoxin. Therein lies the difference. I believe the one child is more severely affected because his immune system was only 2 weeks old when it received this incredible insult. The other boy was 6 months old and had a more mature immune system. But, really, at what age would it ever really be appropriate to inject mercury into one's body?

As I said earlier, my last two boys never received any vaccinations. They are at ages, 4 and 7, where we know that they are neurotypical.

Two kids fully vaccinated and on the autism spectrum. Two kids never vaccinated and neurotypical. Does anyone really believe this is just a coincidence?

These four children have the same mother, the same father, the same genetics. There has never been a diagnosed case of autism on either side of the family. Both parents lived clean lifestyles for the two decades in which these children were conceived, born, and raised, so we can rule out some sort of environmental insult, other than the vaccines.

In all the years I have been talking to people about this, no one has ever said anything that could convince me that something other than vaccines are the cause of my children's problems. I would love to believe that vaccines have nothing to do with this, really I would love it. But at this point, there isn't any reason to believe otherwise.

Lisa 2-12-2009 @ 3:42PM

Donna,

First, I would like to applaud you for everything you do in your daily life. I have read some of your other posts and believe that you need and deserve some appreciation.

I would also like to applaud you on your recognition of the gun and trigger. I do believe there is a genetic component to autism and I also believe there is a trigger. I agree that vaccinations can be the trigger. Mercury is bad and should not be in vaccinations, but I believe that the immune response could be the trigger. If this is the case then potentially any immune response could trigger autism. As a society we are systematically suppressing our immune systems while adding more and more vaccinations. This seems to be a bad combination and may explain part of the increase in number of diagnosed cases.

I wish you strength.

Robin 2-11-2009 @ 7:00PM

I have a son with high functioning autism.(Aspergers) He had symptoms present long before he had his MMR vaccine. One thing I've never heard anybody bring up is that fact that vitamins were added to food to enrich them about the time we started giving vaccines regularly. I know vitamins are supposed to be good for you, but there really hasn't been as much research as there should be. We know that iron in high levels can be toxic. I wonder if other vitamins and minerals could have the same effect, especially in prenatal vitamins, which contain higher doses of vitamins. Maybe in utero, when the fetus is forming, certain vitamins can stimulate parts of the brain and nervous system too much, (or too little) causing unintended effects, such as autism and related disorders. I really would like to see doctors and scientists look down this avenue. We can't keep dancing around the vaccine issue, without looking at other things. Another thought, too: My son, while he has many social issues, is an extremely smart boy. I wonder if these kids aren't supposed to be like this. Einstein had Aspergers, supposedly Marie Curie did, too. Bill Gates definitely has characteristics of it as well. I feel that if these people had social skills and people skills, then they may not have been able to accomplish all that they did. They probably would've been out partying instead of concentrating ( obsessively) on the task at hand. I really believe that people like this are going to be the ones to save the world.

KT 2-12-2009 @ 10:43AM

Sorry, I saw your post and just have to comment on what I think is the most naive and head-in-the-sand commentary I've read about on this subject in a while.

While I'm sorry that your son is affected by this condition, your suggested connection to vitamins is absurd, unless you drastically overdosed on them while pregnant. Furthermore, you are failing to remember that the Autism "spectrum" is just that, a wide spectrum...and a convenient catch-all diagnosis which, like SIDS, can have more than one cause.

Here, take a moment to get informed and think for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Hw-Q23S_s

wbell 2-15-2009 @ 7:07PM

Robin, I think you couldn't have said it any better!! My child was showing signs of Autism WAY before and I believe my husband has autism (high functioning, like his duaghter), but learned how to "fit in" as best as he could. My daughter is extremley intellegant, but she socailly does not know how to communicate. I do believe that there is a reason for everything, and choose not to blame anything or anyone for her issues. She is who she is, and we (her parents and the tons of people that love her) will be right beside her to teach her how to function in society as best as we can. Without her tendancy to be obessive compullsive or whatever you want to call it, the world might miss out on something that is very important in helping us overcome a tragedy or curing a disease or making a huge discovery! So I truly believe that we all should just focus on making the best of the situation instead of trying to blame something we can't change.

me 2-11-2009 @ 7:27PM

I'm an autism mama too, with one "typical" child and one autistic child. Both of my children were fully vaxed. What ever my autistic son has, he was born with. The signs were there early on. There are a lot of bad people preying on autism mamas, and lots of really really bad science.

Jenni 2-11-2009 @ 10:35PM

I have never bought into the MMR-Autism theories. I see too many children who show signs long before they are due. I also see those parents struggle in denial until it is past the point of obvious...conveniently close in the relation to the time the shot is given.

What I mean is, until the age that is suggested children be given this vaccine, development is so close for autistic and typically developing children, it's tough to notice unless you see it on a regular basis (like us in preschool). The age of the vaccine is when different development either flourishes for typical development or plataues for those on the spectrum.

That's why it's so easy for people to believe that this could be true. But I've seen non-vaccinated children on the spectrum as well. Doesn't make it conclusive or scientific, but it does debunk the theory a bit.

Donna Z. 2-12-2009 @ 1:19AM

I wonder how many years you have been dealing with preschoolers? If one were to find older teachers, say in their 60s, 70s, etc., and ask them about the incidences of autism over the decades, I wonder if those teachers would say things like well, I never heard of a child with autism back in the day or we really didn't see any cases of autism until the 1960s or 1970s.

Can someone explain why autism, unknown in the first few decades of the 20th century, didn't become prevalent until after vaccines became commonplace? And why has the diagnosis of autism particularly exploded in the 1980s and 1990s when additional vaccines became mandatory? Why is it that back in the days when I grew up no one knew of a child with autism? Why is it that today almost everyone has heard of autism and knows someone with it or knows someone who knows someone with it?

I don't buy the theory that it is better diagnosis today because if it were only that, there should be elderly autistic people out there that were never properly diagnosed...out there engaging in repetitious self-stimming behavior and smearing their feces on the walls. Know of any elderly people like that? Probably not.

Jenni 2-12-2009 @ 9:33PM

Donna,

My theory has more to do with the higher live-birth rate rather than the vaccines. I don't have scientific evidence to back it up; however I do know that 100% of the parents I have dealt with who have autistic children say they had a very high risk pregnancy (spent at least a month on bed rest, etc...).

My sister had a very high risk pregnancy and spent 4 months on bed rest off and on (more on than off) and her daughter was diagnosed about two years ago.

Her second pregnancy had absolutly no complications; she worked up to her delivery date. I am waiting to see a study done on this.

SKL 2-11-2009 @ 10:58PM

I'm skeptical of this revelation. Have they proven that his true study results disprove a connection, or have they simply argued that there were some things about the study that they would have done differently? There is a lot of bias in this field of research.

Also, this guy's study is not the only one out there that shows a possible connection. I don't think anyone ever said the vaccine outright causes autism, which is something a lot of readers don't seem to understand. There's good science, logic, and experience backing a skeptical view of the safety of today's vaccination recommendations, particularly the MMR. Knowledgeable people who fight to suppress this reality are the ones with questionable morals, in my opinion.

Personally, I don't know if there is an autism connection, but I do know that there are many proven issues with the MMR vaccine, and particularly giving it as early as recommended. I have postponed the vaccine for my kids. I would not have decided differently had this "debunked" study never been published.