Did anyone see this on CNN last night?

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Scientists retract study linking vaccine, autism

LONDON, England (AP) --Most of the scientists involved in widely

discredited 1998 study suggesting a link between childhood

vaccinations and autism have renounced the conclusion.

Ten of the study's 13 authors have signed a formal retraction, the

text of which was released Wednesday by The Lancet ahead of its

publication later this week in the British medical journal.

The retraction follows the recent revelation that the main author was

being paid separately by lawyers for parents who claimed their

children were harmed by the immunizations. Some of the children

involved in the lawsuit were also involved in the study.

The study undermined public confidence in the triple vaccine for

measles, mumps and rubella by suggesting it might be linked to autism.

MMR vaccination rates fell dramatically in Britain and several other

European nations and have yet to recover, although subsequent studies

dismissed a connection between autism and the vaccine.

" We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was

established between (the) vaccine and autism, as the data were

insufficient. However, the possibility of such a link was raised, "

the scientists said in the retraction.

" Consequent events have had major implications for public health. In

view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should

together formally retract the interpretation placed on these findings

in the paper, " the group wrote.

The study, involving 12 children, was conducted about eight years

after they had been vaccinated and was based in large part on parents

remembering whether the autism symptoms occurred around the same time

as the shots.

The main author, Dr. Wakefield, who at the time was working at

the Royal Free Hospital in London, is among those who have not signed

the retraction. He could not be reached for comment.

However, he has continued to insist the study was valid, despite the

findings of authoritative groups such as the World Health

Organization and the U.S. Institute of Medicine.

The scientists signing the retraction work for institutions that

include the Royal Free Hospital, the Institute of Child Health in

Liverpool, England, and Cambridge University.