Question
Did Andrew Wakefield fabricate or otherwise modify the reports of an association in time between the administration of the MMR vaccine and the onset of behavioral symptoms of developmental regression in eight out of twelve children he studied?
29 Oct, 2014Scenarios
Calculated Conclusions
Conclusions
1
Yes, Andrew Wakefield fabricated or otherwise modified the reports showing an association in time of 6.3 days (range 1–14) between the administration of the MMR vaccine and the onset of behavioral symptoms of developmental regression in eight out of the twelve children he studied.
2
No, Andrew Wakefield did not fabricate or otherwise modify the reports of an association in time of 6.3 days (range 1–14) between the administration of the MMR vaccine and the onset of behavioral symptoms of developmental regression in eight out of the twelve children he studied.
Analysis
Evidence (3 items)
Before beginning his research, Wakefield was paid by lawyers to find evidence that they could use in a lawsuit against vaccine manufacturers. Wakefield failed to report this conflict of interest.
Andrew Wakefield filed a patent for his own measles vaccine before publishing his research paper in 1998. Wakefield failed to report this conflict of interest.
The data in Andrew Wakefield's study was manipulated in order to create a false association in time between the MMR vaccine and the onset of behavioral symptoms of developmental regression.
Discussion
Does the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine cause autism?