New research on autism and measles “proves nothing”
BMJ 2002; 324 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7333.315a (Published 09 February 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;324:315All rapid responses
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The last sentence of the adverse reaction article reads: Dr Wakefield
worked at the Royal Free Hospital, where the samples came from, until last
November, when he was told that his research was "no longer in line with
the department of medicine's research strategy." That says it all.
I would have my child suffer a bout of measles or mumps, as I did in
childhood without any consequences, rather than risk possible autism, no
matter how remote the risk.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
I am not a doctor, pediatrician or any expert in the field of child
health. However, from specific searches on the internet into possible
causes of autism and a link with vaccinations, it did not take me long to
see a common link -mercury poisoning.
From reading the plethora of articles and opinions on the internet,
it would seem that the Government and many of its advisors have lost the
plot. My point is to stop the frenzied debates about the safety of triple
or single dose vaccinations; the debate should concentrate on the
possibility that the high levels of mercury found in the preservatives
(Thiomersol) of pediatric vaccinations is a more likely cause of autism.
Why doesn't anyone on the television, radio or newspaper bring this
possible cause to our attention? Why don't parents know about this
preservative and be offered mercury-free vaccinations?
Competing interests: No competing interests
The response I have read proves one thing. The status quo is being
defended "at all odds" while kids continue to be adversely affected by
something which no-one is prepared to look into seriously. Most of the
responses to Wakefield's work and his potentially alarming findings has
been a rather shameful reactive and data-fudging repetitive reassertion of
"It is all OK " when it clearly is not.
While it is equally clear that the majority do not get adversely affected,
until we know what it is about the subgroup who do report time-associated
reactions, it surely behoves the companies who make these vaccines or the
governments who advocate them in such a fear-engendering way, to respond
with research designed to find out why.
Otherwise the charge that all is directed to protecting drug company
profit will hang around.
My reading suggests that those with a family history of G-protein related
diseases are more likely to react. Many of the patients I have, who
complain of fundamental changes in their childrens character or of the
onset of a condition classifiable as part of the autistic spectrum also
report night blindess in one of the parents. This issue has already been
addressed by Dr Mary Megson, but the association and its implications
remains unaddressed by the research community unless I am mistaken.
The statisticians and vaccine advocates always seem to forget that
STATISTICS RELATING TO VACCINE SAFETY MEAN ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING when your
child is affected FOR LIFE.
Until such independant rigourous and exhaustive research has been
conducted into this issue along with other vaccine associated concerns I
remain supportive of parents rights to decide whether or not to vaccinate
their children.
yours
Philip Stowell
GP and father of two boys
Competing interests: No competing interests
The link between autism and MMR is yet to be proven, but how else are
these children likely to have become infected?
It is easy to knock down each part of the evidence, to claim that it
is not one particular cause - but can the supporters of the MMR establish
that it is NOT the cause. On balance of evidence, it looks very likely to
be a main cause.
In court, it is "innocent until proven guilty", but in medicine is is
guilty until proven "safe"; and what evidence have we that MMR is not
linked to autism?
As one parent of an affected child commented, if a can of beans on
the supermarket shelf had this much evidence against it, all the cans
would have been withdrawn.
Here, all people are requesting is permission to use the single
vaccines.
John McKellar
A parent of a child with autism, the latter more than likely caused by the
MMR vaccines; who supports vaccination; who works in medical research and
is well read on the matter.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Tapestry thinking needed - again
The Government can start the Third World War on the basis of a
'potential' disaster to the world as its thought that Hussein will send
out rockets to destroy us all if we don't destroy them first - but it
won't even start an investigation into disasters which have already
befallen many thousands of children through tapestry reactions to vaccine
- and who will form our future society.
I also think that these reactions do not have to be autism. They are
whatever happens to a child's brain and body and behaviour once affected
adversely. By narrowing reactions to autism, it becomes very easy to
manipulate figures, influence diagnosticians to call it something else,
remove diagnoses of autism etc.to influence Court cases etc.
Something very sinister is going on here. Herculean efforts are made
to deny these links and to also deny that a possibly affected child has
any autistic features - and once that's `proven` one can sense a huge sigh
of relief - and the child's problems are - at a stroke - airbrushed out.
Thank goodness for the tapestry model on diagnoses - which looks at
threads of difficulty which interwave - in some cases the emergent image
IS autism, in others the new variant autism with the regression, motor
problems and the bowel problems, in others Asperger Syndrome, in others
ADHD etc.
The central issue in relation to vaccine reactions must NOT be `Does
MMR cause Autism' it must be: is there a temporal relationship between the
administration of the vaccine, reaction and the onset of illness and /or
developmental regression?
Once we sort that out, we can then look at the children in whom that
happens, and establish whether they recated to the earlier vaccine with
thimerosol in it and ended up with an auto immune problem and allergies,
or whether they had one anyway and it runs int the family, whether they
are more likely to be premature etc.
Its not rocket science. This is a catastrophe and it is seen every
day by parents whose children are victims. It is also seen every day by
Governments - will they be able to live with themselves when the truth
comes out?
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests