The final episode in the saga is the revelation that Wakefield et al. Readers may be interested to learn that the journalist on the Wakefield case, Brian Deer, had earlier reported on the false implication of thiomersal in vaccines in the etiology of autism. The systematic failures which permitted the Wakefield fraud were discussed by Opel et al. Scientists and organizations across the world spent a great deal of time and money refuting the results of a minor paper in the Lancet and exposing the scientific fraud that formed the basis of the paper.
Appallingly, parents across the world did not vaccinate their children out of fear of the risk of autism, thereby exposing their children to the risks of disease and the well-documented complications related thereto. Measles outbreaks in the UK in and as well as pockets of measles in the USA and Canada were attributed to the nonvaccination of children.
Scientists who publish their research have an ethical responsibility to ensure the highest standards of research design, data collection, data analysis, data reporting, and interpretation of findings; there can be no compromises because any error, any deceit, can result in harm to patients as well harm to the cause of science, as the Wakefield saga so aptly reveals. We sincerely hope that researchers will keep this ethical responsibility in mind when they submit their manuscripts to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Indian J Psychiatry v. Indian J Psychiatry. Sathyanarayana Rao and Chittaranjan Andrade 1. Thalidomide was a medication that used to be prescribed to pregnant women to treat nausea. However, autism occurred in children with ear, but not arm or leg, abnormalities. Because ears develop before 24 days gestation, and arms and legs develop after 24 days gestation, the risk period for autism following receipt of thalidomide must have been before 24 days gestation.
In support of this finding, Rodier and colleagues found evidence for structural abnormalities of the nervous system in children with autism. These abnormalities could only have occurred during development of the nervous system in the womb.
Similarly, children with congenital rubella syndrome are at increased risk for development of autism. Risk is associated with exposure to rubella before birth but not after birth. The following studies all support the fact that autism occurs during development of the nervous system early in the womb:. Unfortunately, for current and future parents of children with autism, the controversy surrounding vaccines has caused attention and resources to focus away from a number of promising leads.
The Autism Science Foundation is a non-profit organization that follows the developments related to autism; in particular, making sure that the studies are scientifically sound. Their website provides up-to-date information about what is known about the causes of autism.
DeStefano, R. Autism is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. A report published in , but subsequently retracted by the journal, suggested that measles, mumps, and rubella MMR vaccine causes autism.
However, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that has a strong genetic component with genesis before one year of age, when MMR vaccine is typically administered. Measles, mumps, rubella vaccination and autism. Ann Int Med ; epub ahead of print. The authors evaluated the relationship between receipt of MMR vaccine and the development of autism in more than , Danish children born between and During the study period, about 6, children were diagnosed with autism.
The authors also found that MMR vaccine did not increase the risk of autism in children with specific risk factors such as maternal age, paternal age, smoking during pregnancy, method of delivery, gestational age, 5-minute APGAR scores, low birthweight, head circumference, and sibling history of autism. Further, by evaluating specific time periods after vaccination, the authors found no evidence for a regressive phenotype triggered by vaccination.
The authors concluded that MMR vaccination did not increase the risk for autism or trigger autism in susceptible children. Autism occurrence by MMR vaccine status among US children with older siblings with and without autism. JAMA ; 15 The authors evaluated about , younger siblings who did or did not receive an MMR vaccine when the older sibling had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ASD. The authors concluded that receipt of MMR vaccine was not associated with increased risk of ASD even among children whose older siblings had ASD, and, therefore, were presumed to be at higher risk for developing this disorder.
Vaccines are not associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Vaccine ; The authors conducted a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies that examined the relationship between the receipt of vaccines and development of autism. Five cohort studies involving more than 1. The authors concluded that vaccinations, components of vaccines thimerosal , and combination vaccines MMR were not associated with the development of autism or autism spectrum disorder.
Lack of association between measles virus vaccine and autism with enteropathy: a case-control study. The authors evaluated children with GI disturbances with and without autism to determine if those with autism were more likely to have measles virus RNA or inflammation in bowel tissues and to determine if autism or GI symptoms related temporally to receipt of MMR.
The authors found no differences between patients with and without autism relative to measles virus presence in the ileum and cecum or GI inflammation. GI symptoms and autism onset were unrelated to the receipt of MMR vaccine. Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the CCDH says they're now racking up a million new followers every month as more and more misinformation about the pandemic spreads.
Matt Hancock said he is meeting with Facebook PR chief Sir Nick Clegg this week to increase pressure on the site to crack down on vaccination propaganda that is "putting lives at risk". Jump directly to the content. Sign in. All Football. Soon after this discovery, Wakefield began digging into the question of whether it was measles virus from the Mumps-Measles-Rubella vaccine which was causing the blockage of blood flow and leading to Crohn's.
While the answer to this question was "no," the possibility of measles virus as a culprit for GI issues continued to interest him. In , Wakefield was approached by a group of parents who told him that their children had become autistic following the MMR vaccine.
They asked him to look into a possible connection, and he was willing to do so. His theory: if the measles vaccine had caused inflammation in their intestines, children could develop "leaky gut syndrome," making it possible for harmful proteins to make their way to the brain. If this occurred, he theorized, the children's autism could have been caused by the MMR vaccine.
In , Wakefield and a group of colleagues published a research study which linked inflammatory bowel symptoms in 12 autistic children to the Mumps-Measles-Rubella vaccine. That study, published in the famous British medical journal The Lancet, launched a massive anti-vaccine movement in the UK, the United States, and around the world.
Several years ago, reporter Brian Deer of the London Sunday Times began investigating Wakefield and found evidence of conflicts of interest and instances of ethical misconduct. In February , the Lancet officially revoked the publication of the article due to ethical concerns. Millions of dollars have been raised to warn parents of the possibility that autism could be caused by vaccines, and to build up a "green vaccine" movement in the US and UK.
Wakefield, who presently practices in both Florida and Texas, stands by his work and insists that his research was properly conducted. It's important to note, however, that for all the anti-vaccine rhetoric in the autism community, Wakefield himself does not make an absolute claim that the MMR vaccine causes autism.
The answer: No such link has been established, but research into a possible connection is ongoing. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.
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