Aspies For Freedom

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Parents rally in support of doctor facing misconduct charge over MMR-autism link
By Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent
Wakefield’s GMC hearing scheduled for next month
Comment | Read Comments (80)
PARENTS OF autistic children are planning a demonstration in support of the doctor at the centre of the MMR controversy, when he is summoned for a disciplinary hearing next month.

The Sunday Herald has learned that Dr Andrew Wakefield - who first suggested a link between the triple jab for mumps, measles and rubella, and autism and bowel disease - is due to appear before the General Medical Council (GMC) on July 16.

His research, published in 1998, led to widespread public fears about the safety of the vaccine and triggered a decline in MMR immunisation levels across the UK. Prime minister Tony Blair was even drawn into the row after consistently refusing to reveal whether his son Leo, now seven, received the jab.

advertisementWakefield, who is now working in America, has faced widespread criticisms over the claims, with subsequent studies failing to confirm the link. In late 2004, the GMC launched an inquiry into allegations of serious professional misconduct against him and two former colleagues.

But parents who believe their children's autism has been triggered by the vaccine are planning to show their support for the doctor outside next month's disciplinary hearing in London.

In addition, an online petition to demand the government and health organisations "stop investigating the doctors and start investigating the patients" has collected more than 4000 signatures.

Campaigner Bill Welsh, president of the Edinburgh-based Autism Treatment Trust, claimed Wakefield was the victim of a "medical establishment witch-hunt".

"Dr Wakefield listened to the parents about their children's disease, clinically investigated the children and reported what he found - where is the crime in that?" he said. "This trial undermines the possibility of any future independent scientific research that might challenge establishment policy."

The petition, started by campaigner Nigel Thomas - who has two brothers diagnosed with autism - states: "I have seen first-hand their decline, seen them screaming in pain and I have seen how all but a handful of doctors repeatedly refused to investigate their problems, brushing off the family's concerns and leaving us helpless, like thousands of other families around the world.

"The only doctors who were prepared to help are now on trial whilst the children are denied basic investigations."

A spokesman for the GMC told the Sunday Herald that there would be a hearing involving Wakefield "in the near future", but insisted he could not confirm the date. He added that the exact charges which were being brought against the doctor would only be revealed at the start of the hearing.

Health officials have consistently maintained that MMR is safe and latest figures show that confidence in the jab is returning. However, vaccination rates across Scotland are still around 3% below the 95% target.

A government spokeswoman said MMR was the safest, most effective way of protecting children.

"The uptake of the MMR vaccination remains at a higher level than in recent times, but we will continue to monitor the level of immunisation," she added.

But many parents still harbour doubts. A Sunday Herald investigation last year revealed that thousands of children in Scotland have received single jabs for measles, mumps and rubella in recent years, with parents paying hundreds of pounds at private clinics because they are not available on the NHS.

Louise Tollin, from East Kilbride, thinks MMR led to her child being diagnosed with autism in 2004. She said four-year-old Christopher showed no signs of problems until he received the vaccine, when he "began to regress before her eyes".

"Christopher was born normal, I am 100% sure about that," she said. "He got the MMR at the beginning of June and by the end of the month he had stopped responding to his name."

She added: "I think the government knows exactly what is going on and it is all being swept under the carpet."


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Oh here we go, the mercury militia at work again!

Anyone in the UK up for a counter protest? Wakefield's a quack and the sooner he is stripped of his registration in the UK the better. The Autism Omnibus case completely wrecked him and his mates and the sooner he is dealt with the better.

And the parents in the protest should be given high colonics and sent on ten mile hikes! Talk about paranoia and cult like behaviour! It's in all the scientific books - MMR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ASD'S!!!

Just for the record, I did not post the article because I agree with Wakefields supporters. I just found it newsworthy enough to post.

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not screaming in pain.

I never said you posted it for any other reason, Theoseph. Thanks for it!

Actually, the MMR never had mercury, it would have killed the live viruses. I have great concerns over the use of combined live virus vaccines.

My daughter, who yes, was autistic from birth, had the MMR and varicella vaccines at 17 months. 3 weeks later, she developed a high fever, seizures, and odd bulls-eye rash. No tests were done at the ER other than to rule out strep throat.

Within 2 weeks of this event, she became completely disconnected, and started suffering more severe GI problems than ever. She had always had issues with dairy, and such, but after this event, she was pooping about 10x per day, horrible, watery bowels that had undigested food. She was soon screaming for hours a day in pain, from her gastric problems.

Her doctor had also noted that she stopped growing, and was losing weight.

An MRI revealed that she has pituitary damage, that is most likely caused by an infection of the brain.

After many lab tests, we soon learned that she has a Primary Immune Deficiency. We were also told by her immunologist that she should never have had live virus vaccines.

If one does not have a "typical" immune response, a live virus vaccine can replicate and cause the illness it was meant to prevent in the patient. That is why we no longer use a live polio vaccine, as it was crippling immune deficient children.

All of her doctors agree that she likely suffered encephalitis, most likely from the one of the vaccines.

Did it make her autistic, not hardly, but it did cause a regression, or "manifestation of symptoms". I think due to the fact that autism is hard to detect prior to this immunization, and parents see a sudden change after this vaccine, they assume the vaccine caused the autism. It may worsen the symptoms, but not cause it.

I truly feel this event worsened her autism. The good news is that since we have begun to treat her immune deficiency, her GI function has been restored, and she is much more alert, and no longer in pain. She can also read, and type over 300 words at 3!

Unfortunately, many with autism suffer from immune dysfunction and deficiency. This is a genetic condition, as is autism.

Until we have scientific proof about the MMR, which we do not, we really need to take a closer look at what damage it can do.

Unfortunately, the only studies discrediting the link, have been epidemiologic. The same type of science that convinced the world that tobacco smoking DID not cause lung cancer, until scientific studies proved otherwise. Even the Cochrane report (which refutes the link) says that the studies to date are largely inadequate, but the benefits of vaccination far exceed any risk involved.

A simple solution would be to administer each virus seprately, as combined live virus vaccines contain more of each virus than if seperate, to compensate for viral interference.

Ironically, my daughter is not immune to ANY of the vaccine preventable diseases she was vaccinated against, as her immune system could not mount an adequate response. The last thing I would want is vaccine uptake to drop, this would be catastrophic, especially for children like my daughter.

I understand it is the fever, and any disease can cause fever, and the problem Jade had. Unfortunately, in the US's crappy healthcare system, even a fever of 105 isn't enough to warrant action anymore.

We took Jade to a walk in pediatric urgent care center. They said it was viral, of unknown origin (after ruling out strep). The dr said to go home, and use motrin/ tylenol.

When we left there, and in the car she had a seizure. We took her straight to the ER. We waited 4 hrs before seeing a doctor. By then, her fever was down (we were using tylenol in the waiting room), and they doubted me when I said she had a seizure, they said she was just crying really hard (which she wasn't making a sound).

She was stiff, arching her back, and would scream if touched this entire day. She also had the strangest rash I had ever seen, I wish I had photographed it. It was called erythema multiforme. This is what it looks like (sorry, the best representation I could find happens to be on an ***) http://elc.skh.org.tw/elc/uploads/photos/2.jpg

Atleast that is the closest pic I could find to what Jade had, and she had only about 20 spots. I don't think she had a bad case, and I think that is why she isn't that severe (even though 2 docs dx'd her as that).

Anyway, why they didn't take their baby (the test case), I will never know, I have seen the pictures, and that child had erythema multiforme, too, much worse than Jade's. I took Jade as soon as she awoke with the rash and fever.

And while true that it is the fever that caused the regression, in many cases, the fever would not have happenned, if not for a vaccine reaction.

I may never know if it was some rogue virus that affected Jade (yet no other child in her daycare with over 50 children), or the vaccine. It was just 3 weeks after the vaccine.

The only way I will know the truth, is to have Jade's csf tested. Honestly, it's not worth it. She has been a pincushion enough with her pituitary problems, and immune deficiency. Besides, I doubt it would help anything. I have studied many of the vaccine court cases (only 20% of the claims are awarded), even based on it causing pituitary damage, we would be looking at years of battling, for a  possibility of a few hundred thousand. No thanks, I would rather my family live without the stress.

I am very interested in what you mean by "perfect sensory overload", as I have wondered about my husband's friend's nephew. His family is very "spectrumish" and when his nephew was 2, he pulled a pot of boiling water on himself, had severe burns, regressed, and is severely autistic.

I have heard other similar stories, and was wondering if you think it may be due to a sensory overload, too much of a certain stimuli perhaps?

Dr Wakefield does not discuss mercury at all. He is showing what the MMR vaccine can do.

Yes, it is about the genes. Do some googling on the MET gene and autism. The gene, common among the autistic, is responsible for immune and GI function.

Most of my family, and my husband's, are one the spectrum. We all have asperger's. My daughter was diagnosed SEVERELY autistic. She is doig great now, as her immune function is now almost normal.

Yes, Asperger's is genetic, and so are immune deficiencies.

Look and see what the measles, mumps, ruebella, or chicken pox can do a developing brain. Now imagine what it can do to a developing autistic brain. It doesn't cause the autism, but can affect the brain just as it would an immune deficient neurotypical- which is not good either.

True, not all autistics are immune deficient. But the ones that are, are at a greater risk of neurologic sequelae from viruses, not just vaccine viruses either.

One can put blame on something, and still work with a child and help them adapt. I suppose mothers of children that have been permanantly injured in car accidents work with their children and help them adapt, yet acknowledge that a car accident injured the child.

Check out my daughter- she is a gorgeous autistic princess!!! And she is doing wonderfully. Only 3 yr old I know that can type 300 words!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJJA3KupFEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCSP9533QvU

Unfortunately, many people with autism are not as successful as you. Especially those who have been pushed into the system by their parents, have had abuse/ neglect issues as children, those that have communication difficulties, and those who's autism is severe that they cannot work well in a nuerotypical world, in which we live.

Yes, I understand there is much hysteria about vaccines, and false science. But there is also many truths that get entirely no recognition, because this is a horrible debate.

Do know that the CDC, WHO and NIH all state that a person with an immune deficiency should not receive a live virus vaccine. Only the most severe immune deficiencies are usually noticed in infants. Yet, we give 4 live viruses at once, as early as 14 months old.

As far as hurting anyone, I do not think so. As long as people start doing their own research, and speaking the truth about vaccines, and what is medically accepted can happen. If just one aspie mom has her child tested for immune deficiency, heck, any mom has their child checked first, before live virus vaccination, and is spared, then it will help. I have spoken with moms who have children who got polio from their vaccines, and are crippled for life- from the vaccine. They encouraged the US government to switch to the vaccine we use now, which is NOT a live virus. They have VDPV, look it up on google. We just switched to the new vaccine in 2001. The live virus vaccine is still used in many countries, where the polio virus is still endemic.

Live virus vaccines are wonderful, and one of the greatest scientific advancements for healthy people, not for babies with a malfunctioning immune system. But, for those that need the protection, yet cannot have the protection from their own immune system, they must rely on every healthy baby to get immunized.

An actual full blown measles attack could kill my daughter. The ones at risk for death from these diseases are the immune deficient.

[/quote]Could you give any links for that? It's my understanding that smokers have several times the risk of nonsmokers, which is something that one would expect to show up in epidemiological studies. [/quote]

Of course smoking tobacco causes lung cancer!!!

There were many epidemiologists, including prominent statisticians Joseph Berkson and Sir Ronald Fisher (often considered the “father of modern epidemiology”) who stood firm in their view that the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was simply a coincidence. Many scientists had blamed the increase in lung cancer on air pollution. For about a decade, the medical community relied on Fisher’s epidemiologic studies (such as Frombonne’s studies of autism), and not clinical research (such as Wakefield’s, or Bradstreet’s studies on autism) in stating that smoking did not cause lung cancer.

A few scientific studies, looking for a relationship between smoking and lung cancer, had been carried out before the Second World War, and indeed had found some evidence of such a relationship, but generally their results were not particularly persuasive and had very little impact on the medical science or on public opinion.

Google it, the information is out there, and the knowledge is well accepted.

Well, I know they have found a genetic link, the MET gene. I have also noted, when I post on immune deficiency boards, many of the children have asperger's, autism, sensory processing disorder. More so than in the general population, far more than 1 in 150. I think there were 240-250 members of the group, and 10 kids had autism, a few aspies, and many with sensory issues.

My daughter's immunologist said that he has many autistic patients, as did the GI doctor, but neither know why.

But even if it can help a few, it would mean all the difference in the world to those few. Actually, immune deficiencies are not few, there are about 150 various immune reponses, and over 100 types of immune deficiency. The most common, CVID (combined variable immune deficiency) affects 1 of every 500 individuals.

A simple titer lab test of past immunization, will show if a child can produce antibodies, this could be done before injection with a live virus vaccination.

Before certain drugs are given to people, labs are run to check the liver, and heart function. Yet we do nothing before giving a baby measles, mumps, ruebella, and chicken pox at once.

Most don't have problems with those diseases (measles, etc), if their immune systems are healthy. The reason we vaccinate is for the weak, the ones who will suffer brain damage or possibly die from a full blown measles, or chicken pox epidemic.

And, yes, many people do experience, minor, temporary side effects from vaccines, whether combined or not. None of those vaccines you had mentioned though, contain live viruses.

Yes, I will agree with this. My daughter never had thimerosal (mercury) in her vaccines.

Many assume when I even mention vaccines, I blame mercury, and am on the bandwagon. I don't know too much about mercury. Jade didn't have a reaction to mercury, so I never looked much into it.

And although she had a reaction, and I can appreciate the danger of vaccination, I am terrified at what this debate may do to herd immunity, and immune deficient people everywhere.

Me too! Well said, Marieke!

Where is this protest by these idiots taking place?

You people seem to not be understanding my point. I believe in vaccination, without it, may of us would not be here. But I also believe in progress, and safety. We can be safer! To think that we cannot would be incredulous. This is not about ending a vaccination program, it is about making the existing one safer!

It is also about better awareness of immune deficiencies, and the problems the immune deficient face when vaccinated with live virus vaccinations. They should not have them, and they will not work, anyway.

The DTP was switched the the DTaP, the OPV to the IPV, all for safety, to reduce the number of children who will suffer adverse reactions to these. Should we not have made these changes?

For those that think we cannot improve what we have now, why then are there currently over 300 vaccines in R&D?

Yes, but the vaccine preventable viruses were always around, too. The measles alone can do a number on the brain. Look at Subacute Sclerosing Panecephalitis.

Do you not wonder what can cause seizure disorder in some autistic? Why some are also MR? Or what causes sensory dysfunction in others? What causes all this, or the severity of them?

Science has recently linked the onset of OCD to strep throat infections, who would have thought a virus can do that?

These viruses can affect our brain in strange ways we only have a basic idea of how.

So are many immune deficiencies. Actually, one of the biggest genetic "finds" in autism has been the MET gene. The gene is also responsible for immune function.

Please note, Jewelie, I have never stated that the vaccine had caused my daughter's autism, but it did change her, and I feel caused symptoms to become more severe.

My husband and I are both on the spectrum, I know it is genetic, but, along with the pituitary damage my daughter received from the vaccine reaction, it immediately triggered a "state" if you will. Jade was not herself for quite a few months, but she has slowly come back around.

It is interesting that I have no antibodies to the vaccines I received 5 yrs ago, and some should have created lifetime immunity. I am being tested to see which type of immune deficiecy I have, as I have been hospitalized requiring IV antibiotics 24 times in the past 11 yrs. So far, they have dx'd it as "functional immune deficiency", I will know more next month when I see the doctor again.

My husband, well, he is as healthy as an ox, but he had chicken pox 3 times before age 16.

Now how can that happen?