To think Andrew Wakefield has blood on his hands for causing so much distrust over the MMR?

[chicaguapa]

That's it really. He's caused so much damage with his stupid little study. It was years ago, he was struck off, the study was discredited, but people still don't get the MMR because of it.

Damn right.

YANBU - parents did what they believed to be right with the massively hyped opinion of this man and now the.price of misinformation and media hype is clear for all to see.

What a load of nonsense. Do you actually know what reasons parents have for not vaccinating? Or are you just so angry that not everyone is you?

YANBU

Yanbu.

But a load of people will be in in a minute to say 'but what about...' Rare as hens teeth stuff.

Yanbu

YABU! For years and years, the medical community have been trying to undo the damage and correctly inform people of the risks of not vaccinating. And now its come back to bite them on the bum, they are yet again looking for someone to blame
Time the great British public took responsibility for its own foolish actions.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........I really do wonder what the reasons those parents would give for not vaccinating. I wonder how many of them are now outside emergency clinics.

OP YANBU.

Do you actually know what reasons parents have for not vaccinating?

Well, given that on every single MMR thread I have ever seen on here, 90% of non-vaccinating parents cite their concern about autism as the reason.

The other 10% have legitimate concerns about previous bad reactions and so on.

So it's not rubbish, as it happens.

one of my dds has had the mmr, the other not

dd2 2 has an autoimmune disorder as her consultant advised against MMR, so she relies on herd immunity

so many people, when the find out she hasn't had the MMR (like when she had rubella) are shocked and lecture me about the importance of getting it done -err I know that, that's why dd1 has had it

fortunately I don't live close to the outbreak but I will be speaking her doctors again to find out if they still advise not to have it

Andrew Wakefield obviously had his own agenda but I can't believe the long term damage he has done

One of the things that annoys me most about a lot of non-vaccinating parents is the fact that they happily rely upon herd immunity (ie the fact that most other people DO vaccinate) to protect their own children.

YANBU.

But also sort of agree with macdoodle re: the public's foolish actions.

If I were one of the parents currently trying to get emergency vax, after refusing it when it was routinely offered, I think I'd feel a bit sheepish now.

But, well, people act in what they perceive to be their children's best interests at the time. Can't really blame them for being misinformed.

Oh, and I completely agree re AW.

Sorry, chickens, my post re herd immunity was not in any way directed at you!

He did his studies, like everybody who is a parent we can read the studies and make our own decision. There were plenty of other studies who said that it was safe.
We, as parents, have to take responsibility for our own decisions.

Was an interesting article about Wakefield and others and what he is up to now in the Guardian today.

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/06/what-happened-man-mmr-panic

I have a ds with AS a dd with severe autism and dd2 is slightly speech delayed. All had mmr I hate what he said because although logically I know it was crap there is always this doubt and self blame because of it.

YANBU.

Nothing else to say really.

I think the problem is that many middle-class parents think they know better than the 'powers that be' about such things. And I say this as the husband of one of those 'challenging authority in a I know better' way types! However we have professionally informed family members so got our two vaccinated as per guidelines. And our two are blond(e) which apparently made them more 'at risk' . Apparently the higher up the social class register you go the greater the non-compliance on MMR. Seem to recall in our very middle-class ante-natal group that only one other couple apart from us had their DC vaccinated with the MMR...

He did his studies, like everybody who is a parent we can read the studies and make our own decision

It's not really that simple. For a start, his study was flat out fraudulent (that's why he was struck off) and it's not reasonable for the average person to make any decision based on a scientific study. Most of us don't understand science or risk well enough to make a reasoned and informed decision. We need our doctors to explain it - they tried, an awful lot of people didn't listen.

Kim's link explains it perfectly.

No I don't blame Andrew Wakefield. He conducted one study - the NHSs had a lot more studies and entirely failed to convey the results in an honest and intellectual manner to those who needed to hear more than this is what the leaflet says. The leaflet ran to an A4 folded tryptich. It was not comprehensive and those quoting its mantra were unablel to have a full and frank discussison about what lay behind it. "Do it because the leaflet says so" was not, in my opinion good enough.

YANBU however, the journal that published it originally has a LOT to answer for too.