Over 15 years ago, Dr. Andrew Wakefield suggested that there was a link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination (MMR vaccine) and autism. He was labeled an outcast, and those statements cost him his job. But could it turn out that Dr. Wakefield was right all along? According to the findings in court, perhaps the answer is yes. Wakefield was called a “scientific fraud” by British journalist Brian Deer and the British Medical Journal. These allegations have ruined his career. Wakefield has filed a suit for defamation.
The scientific evidence that Dr. Wakefield collected (and the court used to make their determination) shows that there has been an increase in the number of cases of autism ever since the vaccine was given in higher frequency to infants. In fact, most states require children get these vaccines to attend school. Dr. Wakefield first discovered these findings back in 1998.
He commented, “there can be very little doubt that these vaccines can and do cause autism. In these children, the evidence for an adverse reaction involving brain injury following the MMR that progresses to an autism diagnosis is compelling. It’s now a question of the body count. The parents’ story was right all along. Governments must stop playing with words while children continue to be damaged.”
Today, scientists and physicians from Wake Forest University, New York, and Venezuela, reported these same findings. Using sophisticated laboratory methods, Dr. Steve Walker and his colleagues endorsed Dr. Wakefield’s findings by showing molecular changes in the children’s intestinal tissues that were highly distinctive and clearly abnormal.
Gladly, we have finally made progress, as more lawsuits are being filed against the government, as well as pharmaceutical companies, by parents of children with autism.
Although there is still a lot to learn about autism, we do know that it currently affects more children than childhood cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combines, and over the last decade, the number of children who have autism has rapidly increased. In fact, the number has nearly doubled. Some reports have found that nearly 1 in 25 children born today will develop autism.
Recent evidence gathered from a clinical study suggests that there is a link between MMR and inflammatory bowel disorders, including autism.
In the most recent court case in Federal Court, the court responsible for overseeing Injury Compensation known as “vaccine court,” two children were awarded millions for pain and suffering, and to facilitate their live long care due to the disorder caused by the MMR vaccine. This case concluded in December 2012.
What do you think about these findings? Do you believe that there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism? We will continue to keep you up to date on any new findings on this topic. For more information, contact a Gacovino Lake attorney at 1-800-246-HURT (4878).
