Andrew Wakefield lied, children died…
Posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 12:01 pm by Jeff HoyThe doctor that did the study that supposedly established a link between vaccinations and autism fudged the research data to make the link. So says The Sunday Times.
Some of the important bits:
In most of the 12 cases, the children’s ailments as described in The Lancet were different from their hospital and GP records. Although the research paper claimed that problems came on within days of the jab, in only one case did medical records suggest this was true, and in many of the cases medical concerns had been raised before the children were vaccinated.
and
Despite involving just a dozen children, the 1998 paper’s impact was extraordinary. After its publication, rates of inoculation fell from 92% to below 80%. Populations acquire “herd immunity” from measles when more than 95% of people have been vaccinated.
Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease.
If the Times’ allegations are true, the doctor should be stripped of his title and perhaps tarred and feathered for good measure.
