National Autism Association.
A British medical journal is retracting its initial support of a study that links regressive forms of Autism to certain vaccines. The 1998 British study that created an international trepidation was called an “elaborate fraud” in the medical journal.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield conducted the study, seeking to prove that a distinctive “time link” between forms of regressive autism and MMR vaccinations did exist. Originally, the results of the Autism study were published and supported by the Lancet. Until recently, no one dug deeper into the findings published by the research; many trusted the findings to be an honest reflection of the truth. However, journalist Brian Deer has reported otherwise.
Deer claims that the study conducted by Wakefield utilized “bogus data”. The data linked Measles, Rubella and the Mumps vaccine in eight of the 12 children studied, to rapid onset of Autism. The findings were key because, Wakefield claimed the children were “previously normal” until they received the vaccine.
During the investigation, Deer examined the medical records and interviewed the parents of the children involved in the research. Only one of the 12 children from the study was found to have late onset syndrome or regressive autism. In addition, Deer noted in the report released on January 5, that three of the children never received Autism diagnoses. Two of the children had existing bowel issues and “fits” prior to receiving the MMR vaccine. The only distinct diagnosis of Autism was in one child, but the child was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is not a regressive form.
Notably in 2010, the Lancet retracted its support of the study as other independent studies “consistently found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism” according to editors at the BMJ.
Dr. Wakefield maintains that he is the victim of a hit man journalist and the investigative report released by the British Medical Journal is a hindrance to dealing with the links between the vaccines and autism.
In a statement from National Autism Association (NAA), President of NAA Wendy Fournier stated, “It has been proven time and again that vaccines trigger adverse reactions in certain individuals.” She went on to say that doctors and those in the health profession often face questions regarding the safety of medical practices. “While any adverse reaction may be an uncomfortable reality, turning a blind eye to negative outcomes – or attacking those who investigate them – causes the greater amount of harm to the hundreds of thousands of children injected with vaccines each day.”