The needless crisis

Twenty-one years ago, this month, a British doctor and 12 of his colleagues published a research article in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. That article has caused hundreds if not thousands of unnecessary deaths and played a large part in sparking a crisis that the World Health Organisation recently listed as one of its 10 threats to global health.

That doctor was Andrew Wakefield, and he has used that article – based on the study of just 12 children – to suggest there may be a link between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

At the time, he said the MMR vaccine should be suspended and that children should be given single vaccinations for each of the three diseases instead.

It’s been 15 years since journalist Brian Deer found Wakefield had filed for a patent for a single measles vaccine and was receiving payments from a lawyer acting for an anti-vaccine group.

Deer also tracked down many of the families of the 12 children and found Wakefield had lied about their symptoms. In other words, his Lancet article was almost entirely fraudulent.

He also subjected sick children to a barrage of invasive tests as part of his ‘‘study’’. Not only was he a fraudulent scientist, he also was a terrible doctor.

In 2010, Wakefield was stripped of his ability to practice medicine in the UK and The Lancet retracted his article.

It’s an utter disgrace how much effort has been spent debunking Wakefield’s fraud. Yet his legacy lives on.

There are dozens of studies involving millions of children showing no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Yet there are still parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.

Measles is making a comeback because children who should be vaccinated aren’t.

The Philippines and Ukraine are experiencing their worst epidemics in decades. Last year, cases in Greece doubled; in France, they grew nearly sixfold. This week, Clark County in Washington State, United States, has 53 confirmed cases. Last month we had our own outbreak in Hamilton.

I’m sad that some people choose to expose children and adults to preventable, life-threatening diseases.

So, I was delighted to read that young people are learning how to get vaccinated without their parents’ consent.

Not only was he a fraudulent scientist, he also was a terrible doctor.