| So it's official, encouraging skepticism and doubt is "poor science", according to UK Govt's chief medical ossifer. |
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| Jerzy Jakubowski (branchofjesse@hotmail.com) |
2004/02/24 03:49 |
http://society.guardian.co.uk/publichealth/story/0,11098,1154677,00.html?79%3A+Uk+latest
"Claim that MMR work mixed science and spin
James Meikle, health correspondent
Tuesday February 24, 2004
The Guardian
Tony Blair yesterday weighed in to the MMR controversy by appealing
once more for parents to give their children the all-in-one measles,
mumps and rubella jab.
The prime minister, who refused two years ago to reveal whether his
son Leo had received the vaccine, stepped in to hammer home his view
of the MMR's importance as the General Medical Council paved the way
for an investigation into the ethics of Andrew Wakefield's study into
autism and bowel disease six years ago which lit the fuse for a series
of explosive rows over the vaccine's safety.
Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet medical journal, has said he
would never have published the research study in February 1998 if it
had known of "a serious conflict of interest", which Mr Wakefield
should have revealed at the time.
He and other senior staff conducted an urgent investigation last week
following allegations presented by a researcher for the Sunday Times,
and concluded that the fact that Mr Wakefield had not revealed he was
receiving legal aid funds on behalf of parents seeking to establish a
link between MMR and autism was a serious error of judgment and a
"fatal conflict of interest".
But Mr Wakefield, who denies any wrongdoing, and former colleagues
were cleared by the Lancet of other allegations of research misconduct
made about the study which provoked years of argument, serious falls
in uptake of the vaccine and repeated warnings of a measles epidemic
among young children.
Mr Blair told ITV: "There is absolutely no evidence to sup port this
link between MMR and autism. If there was, I can assure you that any
government would be looking at it and trying to act on it. I hope, now
that people see that the situation is somewhat different to what they
were led to believe, they will have the triple jab because it is
important to do it."
Mr Blair, at the height of "did he or didn't he" row over Leo and the
jab in 2002, made clear he would never advocate something he did not
think safe for his own children.
The government's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, speaking
on BBC's Today programme, said he had always regarded Mr Wakefield's
study as poor science. "If the paper had never been published, then we
would not have had the controversy and we wouldn't have had the seed
of doubt sown in parents' minds which has caused a completely false
loss of confidence in a vaccine that has saved millions of children's
lives around the world.
"When Mr Wakefield has been in contact with us, he has often been
represented by a PR company rather than communicating directly.
"I don't think that spin and science mix. If they are mixed, it is a
very unfavourable position for children's health. Now a darker side of
this work has shown through, with the ethical conduct of the research
and this is something that has to be looked at."
The GMC confirmed last night that it had spoken to Mr Wakefield and he
had indicated his willingness to work with any investigation.
Mr Wakefield has been defended by Jabs, a group including members who
are trying to pursue legal action over MMR. Its founder Jackie
Fletcher said: "Mr Wakefield's original data is not in question at all
and the conclusions from it have not changed."
But Sense, the national deafblind and rubella association, said the
revelations "further undermine the significance and credibility of
Andrew Wakefield's original paper".
Abel Hadden, a PR spokesman at Bell Pottinger, has acted for Visceral,
a charity that funds work by Mr Wakefield and others. The Guardian was
unable to contact Mr Wakefield last night either by ringing Mr
Wakefield's home or Mr Hadden"
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