British Medical Journal: Autism Study a Fraud

January 6, 2011

The British Medical Journal is calling a 1998 study linking three major

childhood vaccines to autism an " elaborate fraud. " The study by Dr.

Wakefield frightened parents in Britain and elsewhere from giving their children

life-saving vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella.

But a report in Thursday's edition of The British Medical Journal says Wakefield

and his colleagues altered facts and distorted the data in the study.

Wakefield wrote in 1998 that of 12 normal young patients who received shots for

three childhood diseases -- measles, mumps, and rubella -- eight developed

autism.

But a Journal study of the patients' medical records showed that five had

previous developmental problems and three never had autism at any time.

The British medical magazine Lancet, which published Dr. Wakefield's study, has

since retracted it. But millions of parents still refuse to vaccinate their

babies because of the fear of a link to autism. It is unclear what motivated

Wakefield to allegedly fake his report.

British authorities have stripped him of his medical license. He now lives in

the United States and some parents of autistic children continue to stand by

him.

Autism is a behavior disorder in which many of its patients become extremely

withdrawn, silent, and engage in repetitive behavior. Its precise cause is

unknown.

VOA News / Jan. 06, 2011 11:19 KST

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