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Posted: 07-04-2010 10:03 Post subject:

Is he dying? He won't lie down...

MMR doctor Wakefield defends work
By Jane Kirby, PA
Wednesday, 7 April 2010

The doctor at the centre of the MMR row defended his work, saying the case against him was driven by a desire to "crush dissent".

Dr Andrew Wakefield said the General Medical Council (GMC) hearing was about protecting the Government's MMR vaccination policy and some of the GMC's findings on the case were "false".

The GMC resumes its hearing today into his research on MMR and autism.

It will decide whether he and two colleagues, Professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch, are guilty of serious professional misconduct and should be struck off the medical register.

The panel is expected to make its final decision in June but will hear submissions from GMC lawyers and representatives for the doctors in the next few days.

In January, the GMC ruled Dr Wakefield "showed a callous disregard" for the suffering of children and subjected some youngsters to unnecessary tests.

It said he "abused his position of trust" as he researched a possible link between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism.

He also brought the medical profession "into disrepute" after he took blood samples from children at his son's birthday party in return for £5 payments.

The panel ruled all three doctors were guilty of undertaking research on children without approval from an ethics committee.

Dr Wakefield said in a statement issued yesterday: "We can prove, with extensive documentary evidence, that this conclusion is false.

"Let me make it absolutely clear that, at its heart, the GMC hearing has been about the protection of MMR vaccination policy.

"The case has been driven by an agenda to crush dissent that in my opinion serves the Government and the pharmaceutical industry - not the welfare of children.

"It's important to note that there has never been a complaint against any of the doctors by any parent involved in this case - only universal parental support and gratitude."

Dr Wakefield described his colleagues as "outstanding paediatricians and paediatric gastroenterologists".

He added: "Our only 'crime' in this matter has been to listen to the concerns of parents, act according to the demands of our professional training, and provide appropriate care to this neglected population of children."

A spokeswoman for the GMC said the panel would hear from GMC lawyers as to whether the facts already found proved meant the doctors were guilty of serious professional misconduct and, if so, what sanctions should apply.

"The panel will then hear submissions from the doctors' defence teams over the next few days," she added.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mmr-doctor-wakefield-defends-work-1937874.html

Posted: 21-05-2010 07:30 Post subject:

Autism link with migrant parents, study finds

Researchers have discovered that where you used to live could affect your child's chances of being autistic by up to five times.

The study looked at children whose mother had moved to the UK from outside Europe.

It showed an increased risk of autism in children whose parents had migrated from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, the UK researchers said.

The greatest risk was for the Caribbean group, the BBC World Service reported.

Speaking on Health Check, Dr Daphne Keen, from St. George's Hospital London, said while the findings show a clear link between immigration and autism - they could not determine exactly why this was the case.

The research covered 428 children diagnosed with autism during a six-year period.

"We didn't find there was an increased risk in the parents who had migrated from other European countries," Dr Keen added.

"The size of the increased risk was greatest for the Caribbean group. This was at least five times.

"The risk was also very significant, but slightly less, for the African population and much lower, but still a little present, for the Asian population."

The study took into consideration that it may just be a case of ethnicity - rather than migration - that caused the rise in cases.

However, researchers compared their results with children born of UK-born parents with Caribbean, African and Asian roots.

"We found when we analysed the two factors together, that the risk fell considerably.

"It seemed to suggest that immigration was the major factor, and ethnicity was just possibly a factor."

One theory is that the stress of migrating could act as a "trigger" for the disability, a factor discovered in similar studies looking at the causes of schizophrenia.

"There have been some interesting studies that seem to suggest that those sort of stress factors and social isolation and so forth may operate as triggers."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8690683.stm

Posted: 24-05-2010 10:48 Post subject:

Doctor who triggered MMR vaccine scare is struck off
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:42 AM on 24th May 2010

Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC) at a hearing in central London.
He acted in a way that was 'dishonest, misleading and irresponsible' while carrying out research into a possible link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, bowel disease and autism, the GMC said.
He also 'abused his position of trust' and 'brought the medical profession into disrepute' in studies he carried out on children.
The GMC said there had been 'multiple separate instances of serious professional misconduct'.

Speaking in New York before the hearing, Dr Wakefield, 53, told the BBC he was not responsible for the resurgence in measles.
He said he 'categorically denied' suggestions that he had acted dishonestly, or against the best interests of children.
'What we did as physicians, as scientists, was to listen and respond to the concerns of parents about their very sick children, and to act appropriately in the children's best interests to determine what the nature of the problem was,' he said.
'Our duty as physicians, our absolute moral obligation, was to take the parents' concerns seriously and to investigate the concerns. That is what we did.'

Supporters said that his 'only crime' was to voice concerns about MMR which embarrassed the Department of Health.
But critics accused him of needlessly sparking a public panic which led to a prolonged slump in the number of children being vaccinated and a consequent rise in measles and mumps.

Dr Wakefield challenged his critics to 'talk about the science', and insisted the Government's decision to prevent parents opting for the single vaccine had been to blame for the rise in measles.
He said he had never opposed vaccination or claimed to have proof that MMR was linked to autism.
'I never made the claim at the time, nor do I still make the claim that MMR is a cause of autism,' he said.
'You are conflating the two things. You are conflating the link with autism with the overall review of the vaccine.'
A growing body of research appears to show no evidence of a link between MMR and autism.

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280840/Andrew-Wakefield-Doctor-heart-MMR-vaccine-row-struck-off.html#ixzz0oq42HU4A

Posted: 24-05-2010 14:58 Post subject:

Posted: 10-08-2010 23:56 Post subject:

New brain scan to diagnose autism
By Jane Hughes, Health correspondent, BBC News

A brain scan that detects autism in adults could mean much more straightforward diagnosis of the condition, scientists say.

Experts at King's College London said the test identified tiny but crucial signs of autism, only detectable by computer.

Current methods of diagnosis can be lengthy and expensive.

But some experts say further research will be needed before the new technique can be widely used.

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects an estimated 1 in every 100 adults in the UK, most of them men. It varies from mild to very severe, and people with the condition can find the world appears chaotic and hard to understand.

Conventional diagnosis involves a team of experts who analyse behaviour and make a complex series of assessments.

The Medical Research Council study looked at 20 healthy adults and 20 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

They were initially diagnosed using traditional methods, and then given a 15 minute brain MRI scan. The images were reconstructed into 3D and were fed into a computer, which looked for tiny but significant differences.

The researchers detected autism with over 90% accuracy, the Journal of Neuroscience reports.

"What the computer can do very quickly is to see that a patient has autism," said Professor Declan Murphy from the Institute of Psychiatry, who supervised the research, "even though their brain, to the naked eye, looks very normal."

Dr Christine Ecker, who led the study, said she hoped the findings might result in a widely available scan to test for autism.

"It could help to alleviate the need for the emotional, time consuming and expensive diagnostic process which ASD patients and families currently have to endure," she said.

Once a patient has a diagnosis, he or she is able to access help and support with managing the condition.

Joe Powell was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, 14 years ago. Before his diagnosis, he didn't speak at all.

Since then, he says he's made big progress in managing his condition.

His brain scan confirms his ASD. He says seeing his diagnosis charted in black and white made a big difference to him.

"You need to physically see it," he says.

"I know the autism is still there. The progress I've made in managing my condition is real, but it's still there."

The research team is now looking at whether the test would be effective on children.

The findings have been welcomed by the National Autistic Society, who say they add to the understanding of the condition. They say adults can find it very difficult to get a diagnosis of autism, and this may help.

However, they say without more awareness among doctors, it may be of limited use.

"There's still a woeful lack of awareness in GPs' knowledge of autism," said NAS centre director, Carol Povey.

"People with autism are often dismissed when they go to their GPs for help, so we have to make sure front-line professionals have awareness of autism so they can make appropriate referrals."

Professor Uta Frith from UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said much more work would be needed before the scans could be used for diagnosis. "This study shows that the subtle brain abnormalities associated with autism show a distinctive pattern," she said. "It is crucial that we learn more about what the brain abnormalities mean."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10929032

Posted: 29-08-2010 11:01 Post subject:

Family win 18 year fight over MMR damage to son: £90,000 payout is first since concerns over vaccine surfaced
By Martin Delgado
Last updated at 11:35 PM on 28th August 2010

A mother whose son suffered severe brain damage after he was given the controversial MMR vaccine as a baby has been awarded £90,000 compensation.
The judgment is the first of its kind to be revealed since concerns were raised about the safety of the triple jab.
Robert Fletcher, 18, is unable to talk, stand unaided or feed himself.
He endures frequent epileptic fits and requires round-the-clock care from his parents Jackie and John, though he is not autistic.

He suffered the devastating effects after being given the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine when he was 13 months old.

The Department of Health had always denied that the jab was the cause of Robert’s disability.
But now, in a judgment which will give hope to hundreds of other parents whose children have been severely affected by routine vaccinations, a medical assessment panel consisting of two doctors and a barrister has concluded that MMR was to blame.
Robert’s mother Jackie said the money would help with his care, though she described the amount as ‘derisory’.

Her first application for compensation under the Government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was rejected in 1997 on the grounds that it was impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt what had caused Robert’s illness.

But Mrs Fletcher appealed and in a ruling delivered last week, a new panel of experts came to a different conclusion.
In a six-page judgment, they said: ‘Robert was a more or less fit boy who, within the period usually considered relevant to immunisation, developed a severe convulsion... and he then went on to be epileptic and severely retarded.
‘The seizure occurred ten days after the vaccination. In our view, this cannot be put down to coincidence.
'It is this temporal association that provides the link. It is this that has shown on the balance of probabilities that the vaccination triggered the epilepsy.
'On this basis, we find that Robert is severely disabled as a result of vaccination and this is why we allowed the appeal.’

The ruling will reignite the debate over the safety of common childhood vaccines, although it makes clear that Robert’s case does not involve autism.

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307095/Family-win-18-year-fight-MMR-damage-son--90-000-payout-concerns-vaccine-surfaced.html#ixzz0xzHZU21T

Posted: 06-01-2011 10:58 Post subject:

The saga continues:

Posted: 06-01-2011 11:02 Post subject:

The MMR scare was 'deliberate fraud' the British Medical Journal has said
The MMR scare was the result of a 'deliberate fraud' by Andrew Wakefield, the British Medical Journal has concluded and argues it was a 'hoax'.
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor 7:00AM GMT 06 Jan 2011

The now infamous 1998 research paper in The Lancet medical journal linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to a new combined disorder of bowel problems and autism.

Public confidence in the jab collapsed but last year Wakefield was struck off the medical register with the panel saying he was callous and dishonest.

The British Medical Journal has reviewed the six million word transcript of the General Medical Council hearings, comparing them with the findings of investigative journalist Brian Deer and the research paper in the Lancet.

Huge discrepancies have been found between what was in the children's medical notes and what was published about them in the Lancet.

As a result, Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor of the BMJ, has accused Dr Wakefield of deliberate fraud and said the scare was a hoax on the scale of the Pildown man, which was for 40 years believed to have been the missing evolutionary link between ape and man.

She said: "The MMR scare was based not on bad science but on a deliberate fraud." She added that such “clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare.”

Other journals have printed letters and extracts from Wakefield and Dr Godlee has called for investigations into these, in case others need to be retracted as the original Lancet paper has been.

In an editorial, Dr Godlee, together with deputy BMJ editor Jane Smith, and leading paediatrician and associate BMJ editor Harvey Marcovitch, said there is “no doubt” that it was Wakefield who perpetrated this fraud.

They said: “A great deal of thought and effort must have gone into drafting the paper to achieve the results he wanted: the discrepancies all led in one direction; misreporting was gross.”

The Lancet paper claimed that 12 children were referred as consecutive cases to the Royal Free Hospital in London with symptoms of a 'new syndrome' described as enterocolitis and regressive autism and that these symptoms occurred after vaccination with the MMR jab.

However Brian Deer and the BMJ team found that:

– only one child clearly had regressive autism and three did not have autism at all

– five children had concerns recorded about their development on their records predating MMR vaccination

– claims that the symptoms appeared days after vaccination were found to be wrong and in some cases these started months later.

– nine children had normal test results from their bowel but this was changed to 'non-specific colitis'

– some patients were recruited through anti-MMR campaigners and the study was commissioned and funded as part of planned litigation against the jab's manufacturer.

Dr Godlee said in the BMJ: "Science is based on trust.
"Such a breach of trust is deeply shocking. And even though almost certainly rare on this scale, it raises important questions about how this could happen, what could have been done to uncover it earlier, what further inquiry is now needed, and what can be done to prevent something like this happening again.”

Dr Wakefield has always maintained he has done nothing wrong.
He was unavailable for comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8240998/The-MMR-scare-was-deliberate-fraud-the-British-Medical-Journal-has-said.html

Posted: 06-01-2011 11:02 Post subject:

Snap!

Posted: 06-01-2011 11:13 Post subject:

Doubtless the accusations of establishment conspiracy against messianic seeker of truth will follow immediately, but some of the behaviour listed is so utterly blatant it's hard to see how it could possibly be excused, defended, or explained away.

Posted: 06-01-2011 14:02 Post subject:

Posted: 06-01-2011 14:05 Post subject:

Posted: 06-01-2011 14:11 Post subject:

Posted: 07-02-2011 19:36 Post subject: