Andrew Wakefield led a study that found links between the MMR vaccine and autism in children. His study composed of 12 children from the Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine. His research has been unable to be verified or reproduced by independent scientists. In fact, there have been studies that show results that contradict what Wakefield claimed and refute his argument. It was found that Wakefield was involved in a lawsuit against companies that were producing and manufacturing vaccines. His involvement was in the fact that his research was funded by the lawyers defending the parents in that lawsuit.
Wakefield’s study had monumental implications on the world. For starters, it created a stigma around vaccines that has not gone away in over 20 years. His study led people to believe that vaccines could cause autism in their children. As a result of this belief, parents began to not vaccinate their children in fear of their children developing autism. Today, this group is known as the anti-vaxxers and are a source of a lot of controversy in the scientific world.
You may be asking yourself why this is such a big deal. When parents refuse to vaccinate their child, they leave them susceptible to many different kinds of diseases and infections. This can be fatal for the child and dangerous for the population as a whole. A child without vaccinations can help diseases that were once nearly eradicated make a comeback. For example, measles was once thought to be eradicated but was able to have outbreaks in the UK and the USA due to lack of vaccination in children. Additionally, mumps is also making a comeback due to lack of vaccination and there is now a case of the mumps on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. So in conclusion, don’t be wild, vaccinate your child!
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