Measles on rise as Americans lap up anti-vaccine lies
Debunked, struck off and discredited, Andrew Wakefield left Britain for America more than a decade ago. But the doctor who fraudulently linked the MMR vaccine and autism does not give up easily.
Wakefield has found funding in America, made a movie, attracted new fans and established himself as the symbolic figurehead of the ‘‘anti-vax’’ movement. He has even got himself a supermodel girlfriend.
America is in the grip of a measles outbreak, with some 159 cases confirmed in 10 different states since the beginning of the year. This resurgence of a disease that was all but eradicated 20 years ago has led to increased scrutiny of the influential antivax movement, and of Wakefield, its godfather.
‘‘Wakefield has become a symbol,’’ said Jinny Suh, who runs Immunise Texas, a grassroots pro-vaccination organisation. ‘‘He’s done a very good job of trying to make himself out to be a martyr and is there, in the background, feeding the fire.’’
Between 2003 and 2016, vaccine exemption rates in Texas rose 19-fold. Similar trends have been reported elsewhere in America as the internet has fuelled the spread of pseudoscience.
Wakefield, 62, is now reportedly living in Florida with his girlfriend, the 54-year-old model and lingerie entrepreneur Elle Macpherson. His wife Carmel, who was at his side during Wakefield’s bitter legal and professional battles, has filed for divorce, ending a marriage of 32 years.
The couple lived for a long time in Austin, Texas, where Wakefield figured in a number of well-funded ventures that have sought to cast doubt on vaccine safety. In 2010, he started the Strategic Autism Initiative, from which he received several hundred thousand dollars in salary. His latest venture is the Autism Media Channel (AMC), a company he co-owns with Polly Tommey, a prominent antivaxxer.
In 2016 the pair released Vaxxed, a film that claimed to expose a cover-up of the link between autism and MMR by America’s health authorities. The film was associated with AMC’s non-profit arm, the AMC Foundation, which in 2016 took in more than US$1.3m (NZ$1.9m) in contributions and grants. Some US$1m of this was then granted to the Autism Media Channel.
‘‘Wakefield has been effective at getting some very rich people to support his work,’’ said Matt Carey, whose blog, Left Brain / Right Brain, has tracked Wakefield’s activities for years.
‘‘He’s not the be-all and end-all of the movement, but so often he’s the first person anti-vaxxers will mention,’’ said Carey, whose own child has autism.
‘‘He anchors the movement and is their best link to a ‘legitimate’ researcher.’’
JB Handley, a prominent vaccine critic and supporter of Wakefield, put it another way, telling The New York Times: ‘‘To our community, Andrew Wakefield is Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ rolled up into one.’’
Carey believes Wakefield’s English demeanour has helped him succeed in America: ‘‘He comes across as just this put-upon guy, such a nice person. We have this image in America of the educated English guy and he fits right into that. He’s played it very well, portraying himself as the humble servant of the parents.’’
This image keeps attracting supporters. ‘‘Just when he looked down and out, he made Vaxxed and turned that into another round of funding and kept himself alive for a while,’’ Carey said.
Donald Trump – who tweeted in 2012: ‘‘Massive combined inoculations to small children is the cause for big increase in autism’’ – had a selfie taken with Wakefield during the 2016 presidential campaign.
– Sunday Times