silverfrog, I agree that the wakefield notes was not officially a "study", but it was portrayed as such in the press. I also accept that risk varies with individuals. The problem is that NO study is foolproof, NO study can prove or disprove the risks re vaccination or non-vaccination. Even statistics can be bent. Unfortunately, the onus is on us, as parents, to look at the various studies that have been done and come to an informed decision.
There are risks with everything in life. As a vet, I operate on animals on a daily basis, but I am well aware that there is a risk with general anaesthesia, especially in an animal that has never had one- you don't know how they might react. Despite that small risk, I have operated on my own animals a good few times and, strangely, people seem less worried about the risks of having their animal neutered nowadays than vaccinated, despite the fact that there is a greater risk of allergic reaction to GA than to vaccination.
I think it would be simplistic to say there is NO risk with vaccination. there is risk with any medical intervention- with aspirin, antibiotics, almost any medication you care to name. But I have seen no threads on here with parents refusing to let their children have penicillin in case they have a reaction to it, it just seems that vaccination became a real hyped up "issue".
Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to question the medical authorities- to the contrary, I am all in favour of that. I sometimes think more people should do more questioning about the medical treatment they and their children get, and, via my poor mum, I have had cause to do that on many occasions. But i resent the opinion that people who choose to vaccinate their children are dumb and just do so because the doctor told them to (not saying that is your opinion, btw, but have seen it expressed in many vaccine threads over the years)