Summary Of Andrew Wakefield And The Falsified Vaccine Study
Ethics in Data: Andrew Wakefield & the Falsified Vaccine Study
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a prominent Doctor in London, England published a research paper in The Lancet that claimed to have found a link between the combined measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) vaccination & what he called “autistic enterocolitis”. Wakefield studied 12 children whose parents noticed the onset of their children’s autistic symptoms coincided with the MMR vaccination. In his research, he said he found this to be true in 8 (or 66%) of those 12 patients. (A.J. Wakefield¸ S.H. Murch, 1998) After publishing the paper Wakefield also promoted his ideas widely in the media and at a press conference he stated that measles RNA had been found in the biopsies of these children. …show more content…
A reporter named Brian Deer began investigating Wakefield’s claims & found that the results had been falsified and that there was absolutely no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In addition, he discovered that 2 years before Wakefield had published the study he had received funding from a group of lawyers who were litigating against a vaccine maker & needed evidence to prove that the MMR vaccine wasn’t safe. Wakefield was commissioned by the lawyers to produce evidence that the MMR vaccine was causing illness & received close to a million dollars to do so. A lawyer wrote to Wakefield in an email “the prime objective is to produce unassailable evidence in court so as to convince a court that these vaccines are dangerous”. (Deer, 2015) In addition, in 1995 Wakefield also applied for a patent on the basis that measles could be found in the intestine, 3 years before he published his MMR findings. (Deer, How the vaccine crisis was meant to make money, 2011) This was a huge undisclosed conflict of interest. If Andrew Wakefield didn’t misrepresent the data like he did to find that the MMR vaccine was the cause of these symptoms it would cause huge financial problems for him. 2: an example of misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers on
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a prominent Doctor in London, England published a research paper in The Lancet that claimed to have found a link between the combined measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) vaccination & what he called “autistic enterocolitis”. Wakefield studied 12 children whose parents noticed the onset of their children’s autistic symptoms coincided with the MMR vaccination. In his research, he said he found this to be true in 8 (or 66%) of those 12 patients. (A.J. Wakefield¸ S.H. Murch, 1998) After publishing the paper Wakefield also promoted his ideas widely in the media and at a press conference he stated that measles RNA had been found in the biopsies of these children. …show more content…
A reporter named Brian Deer began investigating Wakefield’s claims & found that the results had been falsified and that there was absolutely no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In addition, he discovered that 2 years before Wakefield had published the study he had received funding from a group of lawyers who were litigating against a vaccine maker & needed evidence to prove that the MMR vaccine wasn’t safe. Wakefield was commissioned by the lawyers to produce evidence that the MMR vaccine was causing illness & received close to a million dollars to do so. A lawyer wrote to Wakefield in an email “the prime objective is to produce unassailable evidence in court so as to convince a court that these vaccines are dangerous”. (Deer, 2015) In addition, in 1995 Wakefield also applied for a patent on the basis that measles could be found in the intestine, 3 years before he published his MMR findings. (Deer, How the vaccine crisis was meant to make money, 2011) This was a huge undisclosed conflict of interest. If Andrew Wakefield didn’t misrepresent the data like he did to find that the MMR vaccine was the cause of these symptoms it would cause huge financial problems for him. 2: an example of misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers on