Autism Blog - Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle

27 Jun 2007

Author: Kev
Comments: 33

Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle

On Day 8 of the testimony in the Autism Omnibus, Stephen Bustin – the leading world expert on PCR put a stake through the heart of the MMR debacle when he revealed that the testing done in Professor O’Leary’s lab on behalf of Andrew Wakefield and others was flawed due to uncontrolled contamination in O’Leary’s lab:

What I immediately observed was that they had forgotten to do the RT step…....If you detect a target that is apparently measles virus in the absence of an RT step by definition it canâ€™t be measles virus because it has to be DNA. Itâ€™s a very simple concept. At least it is to me. Itâ€™s not to everyone else…...[b]ecause measles virus doesnâ€™t exist as a DNA molecule in nature, they cannot be detecting measles virus….

On day 10, the head was finally chopped off the corpse of this hypothesis. Day 10 featured the testimony of Nick Chadwick, a scientist who was a graduate students of Andrew Wakefield’s when Wakefield was being paid to find fault with the MMR. Here is the two killing sections of Chadwick’s testimony:

Q Okay. Did you personally test the gut biopsy samples for measles RNA?
A Yes.

Q What tests did you perform?
A A PCR test, a polymerase chain reaction.

Q What results did you receive from the gut biopsy materials for measles RNA?
A They were all negative.

Q They were always negative?
A Yes. There were a few cases of false positive results, which I used a method to see whether they were real positive results or false positive, and in every case they turned out to be false positive results. Essentially all the samples tested were negative.

.......

Q So you personally tested while you were in Dr. Wakefield’s lab gut biopsy material, CSF and PBMCs?
A Yes, that’s right.

Q And all the results were either negative, or if they were positive it always turned out that they were false positives?
A Yes, that’s correct.

Q Did you inform Dr. Wakefield of the negative results?
A Yes. Yes.

Same source material, same equipment, same lab. The only difference was in the results. The difference came about because Chadwick did it properly. Wakefield didn’t. But even after Chadwick told Wakefield about the negative results and the false positives Wakefield had engineered, Wakefield carried on.

MMR as a hypothesis is dead. The initial results were errors. No replication has been done and published in reputable journals. Decent science has shown the exact nature of Wakefields ‘error’ and Chadwick has testified that Wakefield knew about the error.

MMR uptake dropped over 10% in 10 years in the UK. Lots of people were hospitalised, people in the UK and Ireland died.

1 people like this post.

Link to this post?

If you want to reference this post in your site, use the code below to link to me from your website.

<a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2007/06/andrew-wakefield-and-the-death-of-the-mmr-debacle/">Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle</a>

Comments

33 Responses to “Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle”

David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)
June 27th, 2007
09:15:42

Isn’t it about time that the GMC did something about Wakefield… like rescind his registration as a medical practitioner? And I wonder what sort of reputation his activities bring to his alma mater….

Naughty Andrew Wakefield… thanks to him and his ‘work’, a child died of measles un-necessarily. Given Wakefield’s recklessness as to the consequences of his actions, that is at the very least constuable as manslaughter.
Phil
June 27th, 2007
09:48:12

I’d like to know why Wakefield hasn’t been publicly stripped down (so to speak) of everything he holds dear – his MMR conjectures, his qualifications, his registration, whatever. The best person to do it would be whoever the Health Minister is in the House of Commons – or maybe even Gordon Brown himself.

Make a public statement that the MMR jab is safe, advise that Wakefield has been adjudged a quack and order the stripping of his licence to practice forthwith – and make sure any web presence he has is removed.

In other words – make it clear in the best possible way that he is WRONG!

Why hasn’t it happened yet? I thought the MMR controversy was dead and buried in the UK!
Brian Deer
June 27th, 2007
13:23:16

A GMC disciplinary panel is scheduled to begin hearing charges of serious professional misconduct on 16 July. At present the estimate for the hearing is 16 weeks.

My expectation is that Wakefield will be struck off the medical register, although (since it’s doctors’ money that will pay for the event) whether the necessary work has been done by the GMC’s lawyers, I can’t yet say.

However, knowing as I do more or less what the case is, if he beats the rap then IMO there would be something very seriously wrong with the regulatory system.
Tom
June 27th, 2007
16:59:01

I see that Wakefield is slated to be the keynote speaker at the ASA conference on Saturday, July 14 in Arizona, halfway across the globe.

Brian, do you know whether he must attend the proceeding?
Kev
June 27th, 2007
18:09:37

Not sure about ‘must’ – its not a legal proceeding in that sense of the word as far as I know but it would look very, very damning if he didn’t show.

Besides, he’s a showman. I can’t see him wanting to miss a chance to flash his eyes in front of the worlds media.
Phil
June 27th, 2007
22:51:37

Thanks for that, Brian. It’s a shame it’s going to take four months. But you’re right – if Wakefield isn’t struck off a serious mistake is being made.

Why has it taken so long to get him on the list given how long ago the MMR theory was thrown in the bin in the UK (and is about to in the US unless the Masters are dumb)?

Well said, Kev.
Matt
June 29th, 2007
07:04:23

What the heck was that last bit from the petitioner’s lawyers? They go on about the government conducted “smear campaign” against “Andy” Wakefield.

How can you say that this case has nothing to do with “Andy”? The Cedillo case was about thimerisal and MMR. They used the same lab that was set up for “Andy” to test samples from Miss Cedillo. The lab made the same mistakes on those samples as they did for samples for “Andy”. One of her doctors is from “Andy’s” new home, a doctor who is pushing the theory that “Andy” created.

If “Andy” was smeared, “Andy” created the poop he was smeard with.

Matt
The BritMeds 2007 (26) · Articles
June 29th, 2007
23:03:50

[...] Left Brain/right brain [...]
Left Brain/Right Brain » What will change?
June 30th, 2007
08:24:19

[...] court hearing revealed once and for all Andrew Wakefield’s deliberate falsification of science and the O’Leary labs accidental false reporting of negative samples. In the [...]
anonimouse
July 1st, 2007
17:57:05

It is obvious that the entire Autism Omnibus has been a big waste of time, effort and government resources that could’ve been better spent on:

-helping children legitimately harmed by vaccines
-finding real causes of autism
-helping autistic children and adults

Everyone knew this was coming, and it should not be a shock that the entire thimerosal/MMR/autism theory is getting obliterated in court.
Ms. Clark
July 1st, 2007
23:08:55

From what I understand, the lawyers and experts get paid by the court (at least the experts do) no matter who is to blame, so long as the case was brought in “good faith”. In other words the gov’t isn’t supposed to fund the prosecution of frivolous lawsuits.

I would love to see the petitioners be found to have filed frivolously, that is, IF there was evidence that a good portion of them knew that it was all a big ugly game, not unlike someone deliberately dropping some heavy object on his foot in WalMart and yelling “I’m getting a lawyer!!”

I know some of the parents really believe their kids were hurt by vaccines, but it would be totally naive to think that there aren’t some, maybe many low lifes in this group who don’t have any evidence that vaccines harmed their child who just signed on to the omnibus in the hopes of a big pay of for little investment.

It woud be very unlikely not to find such pond scum out there screaming “vaccines are poison” when they know full well their kid was autistic from birth.

Look at prominent mercury mom, Lujene Clark, she might not be part of the lawsuit, but her “case” is that she had a normal 9 or 10 year old who “descended into the hell that is Asperger’s syndrome” after a flu shot. Yeah, right. If the kid isn’t significantly autistic acting before age three, by definition he can’t be diagnosed wtih Asperger’s at age 9.

One of the weirdos who picketed outside the CDC for the “Crime and Deception” rally said his kid was normal for a full three months after a vaccine and then started “acting exactly like she was poisoned” and descended into the hell that is autism… blah blah, but it was the vaccine for sure, not anything else that happened in the child’s life. And what do you bet the home videos show the child was not normal from early on?

Look how the PSC was SCRAMBLING to find ONE good example of their hypothesis of causation. The put forward Cedillo and look how perfectly awful their case was!
anonimouse
July 2nd, 2007
03:19:25

I’m sure Cedillo was brought forward as much for the sympathy angle as for the (alleged) science in the case.
Broken Link
July 2nd, 2007
16:25:02

IMO Cedillo was brought forward because:
1. They had the O’Leary testing done, purportedly showing measles virus.
2. They had lots of home videos showing “normal” behavior prior to MMR, and severely non-normal behavior afterwards.
3. They likely had (not sure about this personally) good vaccine records proving Michelle had the full dose of thimerosal.
4. Michelle is an extremely sympathetic case.

Problem is that 1 and 2 were disproven in court. But, I bet it really wasn’t that easy to find a child meeting all these four criteria out of all the petitioners. That would be why they had so much trouble coming up with the test cases.

There are tons of parents out there swearing up and down that they have
1. good vaccine records, proving thimerosal exposure.
2. home videos – perfect child before regression.
3. chelation records showing “mercury pouring out” and improved functioning after chelation.

I’d expect to see one of those kids as the thimerosal test case. But I bet that when you really look at the records, none of it stands up.
Brian Deer
July 2nd, 2007
20:02:33

I wonder why Dr O’Leary never sequenced the alleged measles virus found in allegedly vast quantities in Michelle’s biopsy samples, and then destroyed those samples before the DoJ could request them?
Vivre La DiffÃ©rence » Autism and MMR : The Final Word
July 3rd, 2007
16:20:45

[...] recorded in these two blog posts, the idea that the MMR vaccine causes autism can also be put to rest. The origins of the [...]
» Andrew Wakefield, MMR and....The Observer?? - Autism Blog, Web Design Blog
July 8th, 2007
15:32:24

[...] about the sworn testimony of Stephen Bustin, the world expert in the technique Wakefield’s lab of choice screwed [...]
Patrick Holford and Andrew Wakefield « Holford Watch
July 9th, 2007
08:32:23

[...] Part 1 and Part 2 Wakefield’s Latest Tent Mission on the Doctrine of Autism Kevin Leitch on Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle Patrick Holford, MMR and What Passes for Hard Evidence Mike Stanton on Patrick Holford and his [...]
Patrick Holford, Glutamine and Autism « Holford Watch
July 9th, 2007
08:32:40

[...] in ItPatrick Holford and Dr Andrew Wakefield’s Discredited Findings: Part 1Kevin Leitch on Andrew Wakefield and the death of the MMR debacle Mike Stanton on Patrick Holford and his unusual views on vaccination, MMR and autismHolford Watch: [...]
c jones
July 10th, 2007
11:38:47

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

GMC Disciplinary Hearing, Simon Murch, Andrew Wakefield

Dear Miss Crack (media) and Miss Claire hennessy (Fitness to practice D)

further to our calls this morning: I would like to clarify why I want to help the GMC with evidence regarding Dr.Simon Murch regarding the disciplinary hearing against him and colleagues Dr.Andrew Wakefield etc

As I’ve said I did complain to the GMC previously but appear to have been fobbed off.

Simon Murch diagnosed my autistic son at the Royal Free in 2000 with ‘LNH GRADE 3’ ’ a serious inflammatory bowel disease’ [Dr.Murch] for this he prescribed VANCOMYCIN also known as ‘the last resort antibiotic’ – BOOTS the chemist refused to have the prescription filled due to it’s highly dangerous nature – BOOTS said ‘no way, it causes fires, you can only have that in hospital- WHO PRESCRIBED IT’.

I was unhappy with Dr.Murch whom I argued with him over this diagnosis and treatment and told my GP whom then began treating me badly and threw me off her panel, she (our GP Dr.O’Brien) was Dr.Murchs’ next-door neighboor and friend.

Shortly afterwards I was accused of giving my son ‘unecessary medical procedures’ by social workers when in fact Dr.Murch convinced me my son NEEDED an endoscopy. I lost my son to a care order as was accused of causing my sons’ problems due to ‘unecessary medical procedures’ meaning this particular gut problem. I have the original diagnosis etc and all our records etc.

I am suffering long-standing bullying from local GP’s despite being poorly and housebound, I have no GP as I write, I believe this is due to local collusion to protect Dr.O’Brien and her ex-neighbour – Dr. Murch who by her own admission was ‘a very close friend’ she instigated all medical procedures and I believed was trying to be helpful.

Regarding Dr.Wakefield; I have spoken to him personally on three occassions at the Royal Free – he led me to understand he was finding this gut problem in children with a range of disabilities including ‘Fragile X’ , Williams Syndrome, Downs Syndrome and a few other disabilities he mentioned I forget- I asked him why he was focusing on autism, the response was that there was more of it (gut problem) in the ‘autistic’ group.

I wish to pursue my complaints against both Simon Murch and Dr.O’Brien and want to know why my complaints have been kept out of the hearings coming up on the 16th July please?

Yours sincerely
anonimouse
July 14th, 2007
03:48:42

I’d like to file a public complaint for having to read that last post and losing several key brain cells in the process.
G Austin
July 20th, 2007
16:32:19

The debate goes on but, AS ALWAYS, in some arbitary, ego-boosting, self-enhancing fashion that never ceases to amaze me.

FORGET David Wakefield, he just brought the problem to our attention – focus on the problem !!

The problem is out there. There are THOUSANDS, yes THOUSANDS of parents who know they had healthy, beautifully developing children one day and autistic children withing three weeks or so of having the MMR jab. Go and talk to them – stop talking to, and about, yourselves.

And tell me this, PLEASE!!. Where is the study that has asked how many of the thousands of children (who have been lucky enough to have had educated parents) who have NEVER had the MMR vaccine, or any other vaccine, are autistic ?

Go and ask these simple questions.

1. Has your child ever been vaccinated ?

If the answer is ‘No’, then ask;

2. Does your child have autism ?

The research has never been done but I could almost guarantee I know what the answer will be.
Brian Deer
July 20th, 2007
17:14:36

Dear G Austin,

Go read the Cedillo case. SHE had autism BEFORE she was vaccinated, and she was the first test case in the first US litigation, selected, presumably, as a sure fire winner by the claimants’ lawyers.

Get it yet?
HN
July 20th, 2007
17:38:30

Answer this question G Austin: Who is David Wakefield?

By the way there have been parents who did not vaccinate their second child, and the UNvaccinated child was also autistic. For instance this blogger:
http://notmercury.blogspot.com/

and from http://www.guardian.co.uk/comm.....tworkfront was a comment from a “cathyfromkent” who said ” Because I was so sure that his autism was a result of MMR damage I haven’t had my 3 year old have the jab. He was diagnosed autistic in January this year. His autism at this stage is identical to his older half brother. I am now adamant it cannot be that MMR causes autism and I want to be listened to, is there anyone else out there who is in the same situation as myself?? I have to be strong proof that autism is a genetically inherited condition.”
Joseph
July 20th, 2007
17:52:10

And tell me this, PLEASE!!. Where is the study that has asked how many of the thousands of children (who have been lucky enough to have had educated parents) who have NEVER had the MMR vaccine, or any other vaccine, are autistic ?

Ask Brad Handley. He did a phone survey.
Prometheus
July 20th, 2007
19:06:32

Joseph,

Don’t forget that the GR survey also showed that the prevalence of autism in unvaccinated children was nearly 6 times the highest reported levels for the US general population.

Mind you, that survey also found that the children who were unvaccinated had a 13% greater risk of autism than those children who had received any vaccines.

Prometheus
Joseph
July 20th, 2007
19:45:04

As for real studies, there is such a thing too, from Japan most notably. For example, see this and this. G Austin needs to do some reading before making unsubstantiated assertions in a blog like this one.
notmercury
July 20th, 2007
19:51:17

G. Austin: Go and ask these simple questions.

1. Has your child ever been vaccinated ? One has, one hasn’t.

If the answer is â€˜Noâ€™, then ask;

2. Does your child have autism ? Yes in both cases.
bones
July 21st, 2007
01:12:53

“G Austin needs to do some reading before making unsubstantiated assertions in a blog like this one.”

...and you need to show me an indexed study that concludes vaccines (any vaccine) cause autism.

Of course, you’ll have to pull your head out of your arse first.
HN
July 21st, 2007
01:51:53

Bones, I have asked several times for someone to show me studies like that here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comm.....tworkfront

You may note that I provided lots of studies that shows they do not… only to have them ignored, or misrepresented…. Or the goal posts moved (sometimes to somewhere out of the stadium!).
Joseph
July 21st, 2007
02:13:18

I believe there’s some kind of misquoting/misunderstanding there. That’s OK.
anonimouse
July 25th, 2007
05:12:12

“The problem is out there. There are THOUSANDS, yes THOUSANDS of parents who know they had healthy, beautifully developing children one day and autistic children withing three weeks or so of having the MMR jab. Go and talk to them â€“ stop talking to, and about, yourselves.”

No. What happened is that there are thousands of parents who are suffering from a serious amount of cognitive dissonance and don’t want to accept the fact that their child’s autism is likely passed down from them.
David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)
July 26th, 2007
14:45:38

anonimous: “What happened is that there are thousands of parents who are suffering from a serious amount of cognitive dissonance and donâ€™t want to accept the fact that their childâ€™s autism is likely passed down from them.”

Absolutely. Cognitive dissonance that is being taken advantage of by imbeciles and bullies who can’t get over their own cognitive dissonance… purely because they are too lazy to even try.
The BritMeds 2007 (26)
August 10th, 2007
06:18:33

[...] Left Brain/right brain [...]