Dr. Andrew Wakefield; a prime example of the impact that bad and misdirected science can have upon not only the scientific community, but the world as a whole. This British gastroenterologist published a paper in The Lancet along with 12 other co-authors in 1998, basically claiming a strong correlation between children who have received the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine and the resulting development of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Following the publishing of “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children”, the scientific community reacted with speculation and the world reacted with amazement. The scientific community immediately went to work on verifying and replicating the results explained by Wakefield, in which they fell short. Over 11 studies with various designs (controlled observational studies, ecological studies, etc.) and various global cohorts all neglected to find substantial evidence to support the claims of Wakefield. The differences between these studies and the original Wakefield study began with the faults within Wakefield’s experimental design.
Wakefield only had a cohort of 12 individuals, of which were all selected by Wakefield, which defies the fundamental necessity of a double-blind experiment. This experiment was manufactured for the sole purpose of establishing a non-existent correlation between a life-saving vaccine and a developmental disorder that has a limited known etiology. The motive behind the fraudulent paper has been partially attributed to the conflict of interest that Wakefield held with research regarding the effects of the MMR vaccine. According to Dennis K Flaherty, Wakefield received over half a million dollars in monetary compensation from the legal team that was suing on the behalf of individuals who were “negatively effected” by the MMR vaccine. This a blatant conflict of interest, as his research may have been constructed for the sole purpose of winning the legal cases for these individuals.
Wakefield’s “research” is still having a cascading impact on the world. Through his manipulation of the facts and scientific data and with the combination of the exploitation of false data by the media, a large proportion of the population has started to decline the vaccination of their children. As a result of a decline in vaccination rates in first-world countries, such as the United Kingdom, diseases that have almost been eradicated, have re-emerged within modern society. The idea of herd immunity is only successful if the majority of society is vaccinate, and if a large number of individuals become unvaccinated, those that are immunocompromised become more susceptible to these deadly diseases that could have been avoided. There was a recent outbreak in 2014 in the United States, in which about 125 people contracted measles, which could have ultimately been avoided through the use of the MMR vaccine. Through the fear of vaccines established within modern society among individuals who are not aware of accurate scientific data, our society is declining in the efficacy of herd immunity and increasing in occurrences of preventable epidemics.
ImmuniTEA Spill 