Dr Andrew Wakefield: Recently Accused Doctor Interviewed

On February 13, 2011, Sally Beck from dailymail.com, writes an article "SCIENTISTS FEAR MMR LINK TO AUTISM". A research team in North Carolina from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, appears to have confirmed Doctor Andrew Wakefield's findings in his 1998 study. A study that has been causing chaos in the media, fueling both sides of the autism and vaccine link controversy, and causing Dr Wakefield to lose his medical license in the United Kingdom. The American research seems to be that a possible, credible and validated link between MMR triple vaccine and autism as well as bowel disease in children.

The team had put together 275 children to examine that have been diagnosed with regressive Autism and bowel disease. The testing had only just went underway with only 87 children examined thus far; while 70 of those children have tested positive for the measles virus in their gastrointestinal tracts. The head of the research team; Doctor Stephen Walker, further explains that the measles strain found in all of the seventy children are the vaccine strain and 0 children present with the wild strain. The only exposure to the measles virus for all children was by the vaccination.

Dr Walker believes that this finding early in the study; only verifies what Doctor Wakefield has previously found in his 1998 study to be correct. It is important to clarify that as an interview between the "health ranger" from www.natural news.com with Dr Wakefield; as well as the findings them self, the study NEVER gave conclusions to WHY specifically the measles virus was found in the children's guts. It ONLY gave an IMPLICATION that the MMR vaccines are a probable cause. Dr Wakefield and thus stated that there was a new disease to be diagnosed of AUTISM ENTERCOLITIS.

Very clearly Wakefield has stated many times that he did not say he PROVED a link to a cause for autism being a fact of a vaccine but that there WAS a cause for concern. Further, with such a concern, until further research could be done he suggest to the government officials that a single vaccine for all three viruses of measles, mumps, and rubella be given separately until such research made clear if that was indeed a cause or not. The ten authors that BMJ and the media have portrayed to have signed retractions of the actual study due to misrepresentations of the facts; actually had signed retractions on the INTERPRETATIONS and NOT the science. The ten authors in actuality still stand by the science.

A second study that validates Wakefields 1998 study that the BMJ called " elaborate fraud " was done in 2001 by John O'Leary; a professor of pathology for St James Hospital and Trinity College in Dublin that replicated his findings. In response to inquiries, the Department of Health stated the DID NOT read the report and will stand by the MMR vaccine as the best way to prevent Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.

A popular arguement that the Center of Disease Control and like groups; including but not limited to, pediatricians and the like is that the signs of Autism appear coincidentally with the vaccinations due to the time they manifest. That they would do so had the vaccinations not been given because the Autism disorder is largely genetic. One year ago, in the science daily online article releases an article was published discussing that autism's early symptoms are not manifested until after six months of age. They further point out that they typically are between twelve and fifteen months of age thus the argument they are a coincidental concurrence with the vaccines. The particular study they are referencing appeared in the March 2010 issue of the online science daily and is titled:Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

"Contrary to what we used to think, the behavioral signs of autism appear later in the first year of life for most children with autism. Most babies are born looking relatively normal in terms of their social abilities but then, through a process of gradual decline in social responsiveness, the symptoms of autism begin to emerge between 6 and 12 months of age."

It is further claimed that they can't rely on a parents observations and thus the rates are more accurate by their own observations at the different developmental stages then the parents own; due to very inaccurate observations.

They are further claiming NOT to screen for Autism in the first year of the child's life. This brings into question the validity due to the minimal time of observation before vaccinations. If a child is developing at the average rate of one in its peer group and two weeks after turning a year old receives a vaccination and further develops an illness and regression two weeks later; how are you to discern that the child wasn't at risk for Autism or not prior to the vaccination? Some children are very autism symptomatic at birth as my nephew was. So, this is going to actually going to clump all autism diagnosed children into one category instead of furthering research into the environmental vs genetic born autism theories.

"This study also found that the loss of skills continues into the second and third year of life," she said. "So it may not be adequate, as the American Academy of Pediatrics currently suggests, that providers screen for autism twice before the end of the second year. Autism has a slow, gradual onset of symptoms, rather than a very abrupt loss of skills."

"Screening may need to continue into the third year of life, since symptom emergence takes place over a long time. If a child starts exhibiting a declining trajectory and a sustained reduction in social communication we want to refer them into therapy, especially if they are at risk," Ozonoff said, "even before we might be able to make a definitive diagnosis."

The American academy of Pediatrics is more correct to currently screen in such a way. Its ignorant to believe that every child displaying symptoms of Autism develop them in the same way or same time frame. It is an explicit difference in Autism setting them apart from many other disorders due to the very individual and very unique way Autism first manifests, what symptoms and to what degree are manifested, what functioning level the child is, what co-occurring disorder;s or health issues they will be plagued with, what areas are the most severe and the ones that are most manageable. They will have different understanding, different tolerance levels, different sense's effected, different attention levels, they will not one be the same. So how is it possible to state that you shouldn't evaluate until after one year old but further wait for more screening until three years old when its possible to accurately diagnose an autistic child as early as twelve months to two years old?

This raises again, the question as to are they trying to force everyone to look away as a child may have a disorder where early intervention is undeniably important; go back to "we don't want to LABEL a child until they are at least six years old", like the Killeen Independent School District did in Killeen Texas outside the Fort Hood Army installation after my son was diagnosed by three different military doctors of having Severe behavioral problems, sensory integrations as well as infantile autism. He was not given early intervention and it was a huge struggle and the child suffered needlessly and I firmly believed in part of this he went undiagnosed for a bowel and intestinal problem or disease as well. Its very ignorant to view Autism in such a limited way.

Not to mention the fact that the children were all at a high risk for developing Autism due to a genetic underlying probablity due to family history of Autism. This is leaving out the incredible percentage of increases that don't have that link, who are environmentally affected at a high rate of probability. They also try to claim that genetics is the biggest role yet they say this when none of their subjects displayed any symptoms until around one year old and no symptoms at birth. Now first hand my nephew was born and withing a month we knew he was going to have a high rate of probablity of autism. I begged my sister for a year and nine months to get him checked out and eventually she did and still won't really accept the diagnosis and doesn't want to see at eleven years old he does function well but that he is still different and needs specialized services but isn't that what these professionals are doing too?

Other study authors include Ana-Maria Iosif, Fam Baguio, Ian C. Cook, Monique Moore Hill, Mary Beth Steinfeld, Sally J. Rogers, Sarabjit Sangha and Gregory S. Young of UC Davis and Ted Hutman, Agata Rozga and Marian Sigman of the University of California, Los Angeles.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

What adverse reactions can occur with the measles vaccination?

Adverse reactions to measles vaccination (as part of the MMR) include fever (5%-15%), rash (5%), joint aches (5%), and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia; one instance per 30,000 doses). In adult women, up to 25% will suffer joint pain that is due to the rubella component of the vaccine. The fever usually occurs seven to 12 days after the vaccination, and the rash occurs seven to 10 days after vaccination.

~~This is what happened after my son received his fifteen month old dose of the MMR vaccination. What this isn't telling you is that in my own experience withing two weeks my child was running such a high fever that he was in high risk category of having brain damage if it went any higher as well as nothing would bring it down. I tried every fever reducer you can imagine on the market and spent hundreds of dollars actually maxing out a credit card to find something that would relieve the fever. The ER knew of his vaccination and had sent us home at least three times with the "its a viral infection you just have to let it run its course". He was also lethargic both after the dtap and MMR. His eyes were glassy and didn't focus on anything. He slept for the majority of the time barely having energy to roll over. He wouldn't eat or drink and his skin became dry and burned you to the touch. He was so dehydrated he would not sweat. He developed this after both the DTaP at twelve months then lost his speech, communication, eye contact and became very rigid in routines. Same after the MMR and after he got better from the fever and viral infection became violent, self injurious, etc.

Is there any truth to the fear of getting autism from vaccines?

There is no valid scientific evidence that the measles vaccine, or any other vaccine, is the cause of autism. The possibility of an association between the measles vaccine and autism was proposed by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues in 1998. The research published by Wakefield was found to be flawed and actually forged, and the results have not been able to be repeated by other researchers. Since 1998, there have been numerous studies that have examined for such an association. None of these studies have shown any risk of autism associated with the use of the vaccine. A recent study performed in Japan after the MMR vaccine was removed from the market showed that autism continued to increase after the vaccine was no longer being utilized. Although autism is a very serious disease that warrants good research to find out its many causes, not obtaining vaccinations is potentially dangerous and not supported by the best scientific data available today.

~!~!First and foremost the accusations are not found to be NOT VALID. Wakefield actually had REPLICATED his own study after one done previously. The PARENTS had written in on his behalf and found that Deere had impersonated himself to get into the parents home and falsely identified the Sunday Times as his employment using not his last name but a middle name. He had proceeded to claim he was on their side and sympathetic all to dig information for his own motivations and creating needless anxiety in this parent. As well as its come to the attention the co-authors retracted the interpretations NEVER the outcome and still stand by the science. Further two more studies have been done and they are finding that Wakefield's are valid. This is showing you that the need to hide something in regards to vaccinations using regurgitated, very false, based on "junk science" and misrepresented findings are being used to sway a general population that will believe what they read and hear before researching and self educating them self to come to an informed opinion.

What should I do if I don't know if I've been vaccinated?

Get vaccinated. The MMR vaccine is safe and there is no increased risk of side effects if a person gets another vaccination.

~~I don't understand how injecting oneself with another round assuming you haven't had it when its multiple live virus's and unhealthy and dangerous ingrediants you are double dosing yourself with. They argue further that pneumonia, diarrea, and things of that nature are so deadly and that they are related to the measles, mumps, and rubella thus have vaccines for those as well. I have to state that the one in my family that refuses vaccinations is myself after being double dosed by a dozen or more in boot camp because they lost my records. I don't even get the flu shot. I don't get the flu, I have fought off multiple ear infections without antibiotics that I am immune to anyway due to over medicated as a child for chronic bronchitis. I have fought off naturally pneumonia once without medication. Same with viral bronchialitis. My kids don't get the flue shot and they don't get the flu yet both of their father's always get sick and always get the flu, can't fight a common cold off with their immune system and not to mention the severe pneumonia and double doses of medication its taken to get them better. Yet they are service members and vaccinated beyond a reasonable measure. Just goes to show that perhaps the immune system is being ill formed to handle anything that enters its system due to over vacciantion?

immunization (vaccination) schedule

Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. For example, measles vaccine is not usually given until a child is at least 1 year old. If it is given earlier than that, it may not work as well. On the other hand, the DTaP vaccine should be given over a period of time, in a series of properly spaced doses. More information about the specific diseases your child is vaccinated against is listed later in this article.

Following is a description of the routine childhood immunization schedule. It is published each year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

~~Just an example of just how vague their answers are. Vaccines they say work best when they are given at certain ages. Okay, why? Example the measles vaccine is not given normally before one year old because it may not work as well. As I said okay why? They don't answer that question and go to say DTaP should be given over time, in series of doses specifically spaced but not WHY. It passes you to someone else to maybe answer you and doesn't explain the basic answer as to why. Should we go with because they told us so?

DTaP vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 months
4. Fourth dose at 15 to 18 months
   
5. Fifth dose at 4 to 6 years
6. DTaP is recommended at 11 years

When did they add the sixth dose? I didn't know that they had added that one until my ex-husband calls to tell me my eleven year old child recieved five vaccines. My mouth hit the floor because I didn't think I ever recieved that at 11 and I checked my records and I did not. So we go from four to five needed and now six. Why? What is the benefit? I am 32 years old AND STILL IMMUNE FROM THE FOUR DOSES I RECIEVED AS A CHILD.

~~Next fact that should be everyone's concern that Wakefield has addressed in a few interviews; as well as Jenny McCarthy, Anderson Cooper, Alex Jones, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the fact of multiple vaccinations containing thimerosal trace likes and also live virus's. At 15 to 18 months old when most parents such as Jenny McCarthy noticed the more obvious changes and regressive symptoms; unlike myself that noticed them at the DTaP. Jenny McCarthy did too but she didn't realize that she did in her Oprah interview of hand flapping beginning after the DTaP and before the MMR. This was what made audience viewers question her blaming a vaccine un-neccesarily. Fact is the live virus's were also in the DTaP. So at this time frame of fifteen to eighteen months they get these vaccinations at one time.

- MMR

-Hep B

-Polio

-DTaP

-HiB

-Pnumecoccal

-Hep A

-Varicella if not given in the previous shot series at twelve months

This includes three live virus's at least with the MMR, DTaP is live, Polio is live, and Varicella is live and that is just as a mom and no research brain is knowledageble on. So if a grown adult has issues fighting off multiple live virus's how is a child's body supposed to handle that? So why is it so taboo for the findings of Wakefield, O'Leary, Walker and teams so hard to comprehend that a virus such as the measles would have not possibly stayed in the gastrointesinal tracts of these kids. If it has then why is it so hard to see that inflammation and getting into the blood stream and such can affect the brain and neurological functioning even of a child causing such a disorder as Autism Spectrum of the regressive type? Really it makes common sense. Now, if you can get the flu from the flu vaccine why is it hard to see that the fever that you may get as an adverse reaction that can occur up to twelve days later, also seen in children that regress only two weeks after that. That Autism rates coincide with all the vaccination schedule increases, is such an issue for the CDC to hide they made a mistake?