Latest Wakefield MMR Scandal

[twiglett]

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[kiwisbird]

all smoke no fire?
Time will tell

[CountessDracula]

I really can't see where the conflict is here.

He was working for the Legal Aid board, surely it was in his interests to find that MMR wasn't a problem so that people wouldn't sue.

DH is medical negligence lawyer, deals with a lot of disciplinary stuff with the GMC and he can't see the conflict either.

[twiglett]

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[CountessDracula]

? twiglett

[Jimjams]

laughable and so transparent. The govt thinks we are really stupid.

Who funds the researchers who work on the MMR's safety? One oft praised (by the dept of health but ridiculed by statisticians) paper by Brent Taylor et al (1999) was funded by the dept of health. Not a conflict of interest in itself but two years he was a member of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation, the government's vaccine advisory body whose
reputation would be shredded if MMR was shown to be unsafe. And he's supposedly whiter than white.

It's disgusting and dispicable and I remain horrified that the govt think its ok to play a political game because the numbers of possible collateral damage remain low enough for them to get away with it.

[Marina]

"We have identified important illness in children and raised important questions about child health."

I hope his name is cleared. He has had to endure a very great deal since the research was published and I think whether or not my own children are at particular risk from measles-related autism or gut problems I am very grateful he did this research on behalf of all parents.

I was interested to see that the Royal Free are "standing by him" during the Enquiry. Didn't they effectively sack him a while back by refusing to fund any more of his work? I thought he'd had to move to the US to secure further funding.

[twiglett]

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[Jimjams]

Exactly twiglett. I'm torn between finding it so utterly obvious that its laughable and sheer anger that they think spin is a substitute for investigating why families lives are being destroyed.

[CountessDracula]

What could he do? Carry out research that he thought proved a link and then bury it? Now THAT would have been good cause for an inquiry.

Honestly the govt really are pathetic.

[marialuisa]

Can't see a conflict of interest and it's common practice to use the same "participant pol" in more than one study.

[CountessDracula]

ah sorry didn't get that.

Thought they were saying that the conflict was that he was carrying out his own research as well as for the Legal Aid board.

It's all irrelevant anyway IMO

[Marina]

I hope and wish Dr Wakefield could see this thread. It might give him some pleasure to see that so many parents, whether directly affected by this issue or not, want a fair deal for vaccine-damaged families and appreciate what he has done to publicise the issue.
Jimjams, I too wondered how this research could be affected by "conflict of interest" so much more than other research funded by government departments, drug firms, charities come to that. Is there such a thing as a 100% objective study?

[twiglett]

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[Jimjams]

The thing is people like Taylor are funded by drugs companies for other research that they do, but they have no conflict of interest. As usual its one rule for him and one rule for everyone else. It is so tranpsarent though. I can't really believe they want a public enquiry! Wakefield will be jumping up and down about that. It would be particualrly interesting if govt attempts to prevent the collection of spinal fluid for analysis were more widely known. It's pathetic (and rather unfortunate for them that they didn't manage it as the spinal fluid did contain vaccine strain measles).

[Jimjams]

This is who funds him now- Visceral

[Jimjams]

Actually I think we should send this to the dept of health.

Anyone see question time a couple of weeks ago? the govt minister present (and I can't remember who it was ) started saying how TB et al had been cleared of all wrongdoing by Hutton blah blah and the journalist type (can't remember who although he had worked for the BBC) Just said "DON"T YOU GET IT? NO-ONE BELIEVES YOU". Rather hilarious, very true and got a big round of applause.

They will never investigate MMR becuase if they do it will come out quite clearly that no-one knows whether it causes autism in a small number of children or not. (and that is the only claim that has ever been made).

[aloha]

They are truly out to get him, have been for such a long time and this is best they can come up with? Honestly. It is revolting. The Big Brotherishness of this regime horrifies me. Maybe David Blunkett can put Wakefield on trial in one of his new secret courts?

[twiglett]

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[katierocket]

can I ask a genuine question here.
I thought that this whole conflict of interest issue came out of an investigation The Times carried out and passed to The Lancet for comment. Aren't the Govt just jumping on that rather than instigating it IFYKWIM? Or am I being naive?

[kiwisbird]

Another mums website which I moved from there to come here (in preference of intelligent debate lol)
is hanging wakefield and defending mmr to the death as the safest vaccine the world has ever known
miaow
can't be bothered responding!

[Clarinet60]

My sentiments exactly. I've been hopping mad about this all weekend. I think we should send a letter. I'm amazed at the Sunday Times, who supposedly 'discovered' the 'conflict of interest' (what???), because the work they did on mercury in vaccines has been so good. They ought to know better. Jimjams, some of your posts would make great ingredients for a letter. I think we should really do it this time.

[Jimjams]

I find it frightening that people can't see through it kiwisbird, Mind you I read such a pile of claptrap in the Times yesterday (I didn't buy it my parent's did!).

Heaven forbid any of us should have our own minds. I've never known a govt so terrified of not being "in control". If they have nothing to fear, if Wakefield is a loon, if the MMR is as safe a smelling roses, then they should properly investigate the thing.

But they won't do that as they know they have behaved appallingly since concerns were first raised (and they still haven't addressed those concerns),

Who gives a shit about a bunch of autistic kids anyway- they're subhuman aren't they?

[Jimjams]

I can't be bothered though Droile, I really can't. I've written to the dept of health before but what's the point? They don't give a shit. They don't even care enough about autistic kids to provide maternity cover when their speech therapist goes off to have a baby (as she's perfectly entitled to do). The Times has an agenda at the moment and appears to believe that autism is simply caused by bad parenting. I can't be bothered. There are much better people than me out there campaigning and they get nowhere.

I am going to write to Charles Kennedy though. I've always voted Lib Dem before but Evan Harris' rantings on MMR have revealed that like many doctors he obviously assumes all mothers to be simpletons, unable to accept reality and desperate to blame anything so I can't vote for them anymore.

I wouldn't wish autism on anyone, really I wouldn't - it's a horrible horrible thing, but if it comes down to the choice of some poor sod in the street, or someone in power's child being hit by it, I pray for the someone in power (non-specified because as I said I wouldn't wish it on anyone). Things might start to change then, and proper research and support may be provided.

[Clarinet60]

Yeah, I don't blame you jimjams. I think I might though. Will have to use my married name (I publish in the med lit under my maiden name) to protect my work. What stupid lengths, eh, but this witch hunt has proved to me that none of us are safe.

[dinosaur]

Interestingly, the son of a friend of mine is being seen by a gastroenterologist at the Royal Free. He's not terribly gung-ho about the MMR - at least, not in the case of my friend's son...