New Jersey
paper's editors call for more work on
autism, citing Brian Deer report
This page
is research from an investigation by Brian Deer for The Sunday
Times of London into a campaign against
the MMR vaccine Go to
part I: The Lancet scandal | Go to
part II: The Wakefield
factor | Go to part III:
Solved - the
riddle of MMR
In
February 2009, the Star-Ledger of New
Jersey was among many US news outlets
which reported on the third part of
Deer's Sunday Times investigation of Andrew Wakefield, the British
former gut surgeon who caused a crisis
over vaccine safety with basless
allegations linking MMR to autism
Autism and
vaccines
By the
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
February 18 2009
If B follows A, that
does not mean A caused B. Yet when
people seek explanations for
mysterious ailments, it can be hard
to resist making that leap.
That fallacy is what lies at the root
of the hysteria over a supposed link
between autism and the Measles Mumps
Rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Last week a federal court confirmed
what has been the mainstream view of
the scientific community from the
beginning: The vaccine does not cause
autism. The decision by a special
court set up to evaluate claims for
compensation was a blow to families
who feel they have been victimized by
vaccine makers. The court concluded
those families have, in fact, been
victimized by "bad science
conducted to support
litigation."
Backing that up was an article in the
London Sunday Times that detailed how
doctors in England had distorted data
to create the vaccine panic. It began
in 1998 when the prestigious medical
journal the Lancet ran an article
warning of a possible connection
between the vaccine and the onset of
autism. The Lancet is usually known
for its meticulous peer review
process. But in this case the editors
made a number of errors. Among them
was permitting the authors to base
such an alarming allegation on such a
small sample size: 12 children.
Worse, as investigative reporter
Brian Deer revealed in the Times
piece, many of the children had shown
symptoms of autism before they
received the vaccine. And the lead
doctor of the study declined to
reveal that he received more than
half a million dollars working with a
lawyer who was seeking to litigate
the link between MMR and autism.
The Lancet is now trying to recover
its reputation. Meanwhile, the
medical community here in America is
trying to restore realism to a debate
that is having a measurable impact on
children's health.
Measles can cause severe illness and
even death in some instances, and the
vaccine has been remarkably effective
in reducing its incidence. In
Australia, the diseases has been
eradicated thanks to MMR. But here in
the United States, as in England, the
disease lingers, largely because of
fears about the vaccine.
Many of those raising alarms are no
doubt well-intentioned. But the many
reputable scientists who have studied
this issue over the years have come
to the conclusion that there is no
cause-and-effect link between
vaccines and autism.
What's needed now is not further
attempts to draw a connection where
none exists, but scientifically sound
research into the causes and possible
cures for this tragic illness.
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