drgy822
- Dec 7, 2021
- 6 min read

Vaccinations and Andrew Wakefield

Project 1

Vaccines have been part of medical treatment since the late 18th Century. Vaccines have been responsible for preventing disease and death in both children and adults and extending life expectancy. There is evidence showing that the benefits of mandatory vaccinations far outweigh the controversies surrounding the belief that vaccines are detrimental to one’s health and specifically explore a major controversy about vaccines and Autism as espoused by Andrew Wakefield.

It is important to understand the history of vaccines and explore controversies primarily focusing on Wakefield. The current COVID Pandemic provides a great example of controversies related to whether the vaccine and other preventative methods are something that should be required.

History of Vaccines

The first major vaccine development is attributed to Englishman Edward Jenner to treat smallpox. Dr. Jenner discovered a connection between cowpox and smallpox. This led to the first reliable vaccination being developed. In May of 1796, Jenner essentially developed the smallpox vaccine by successfully injecting an 8-year-old boy and curing him of smallpox (Kershner 1). Schedule A is a partial list of vaccinations that have been developed that have profoundly changed the health of the world population.

In addition, Schedule A provides important references that demonstrate vaccinations have been required and utilized without major determinants for centuries.

Project 2

Andrew Wakefield and Vaccine Controversy

Over twenty years ago, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published an article in the journal "The Lancet,” where he theorized that there was a link between the MMR vaccines (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) and the development of autism (Wakefield 1). Autism is a mental condition involving issues in brain development. It is a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech, and non-verbal communication. According to the Center for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today (CDC 1). The ramifications of his theory resulted in severe consequences for the children in Great Britain and gave rise to the anti-vaxxer movement which continues to this day.

Prior to the 1998 publication of the article in "The Lancet," Andrew Wakefield was, however, a well-respected pediatric gastroenterologist scientist. Wakefield's disproved theories and his subsequent adherence to his debunked theories have had worldwide consequences.

According to the Science-Based Data website:

“Over the next decade, aided and abetted by useful idiots in the media, by British newspapers and other media that sensationalized the story, and the anti vaccine movement, which hailed Wakefield as a hero, Wakefield managed to drive MMR vaccination rates in the U.K. below the level of herd immunity, from 93% to 75% (and as low as 50% in some parts of London). As a result Wakefield has been frequently sarcastically “thanked” for his leadership role in bringing the measles back to the U.K. to the point where, fourteen years after measles had been declared

under control in the U.K., it was in 2008 declared endemic again” (Gorski 1).

Project 3

Many of Wakefield’s followers do not believe vaccines are beneficial and may be more harmful than helpful (Boseley 1). This is a highly controversial theory. Although there are many people who support this theory, studies have shown that there is no link between vaccinations and autism. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden addressed the autism and vaccination issue in a Frontline interview:

“The one common denominator of childhood is that you get vaccinated. That’s not cause and effect. So what you need to do is to see if there is any cause-effect relationship, and a lot of groups have looked very carefully at that, and there isn’t. There’s just no scientific data to indicate that that’s the case” (Frontline 1).

The fact that there is no relation between vaccinations and autism has been proved time and time again by the research of many scientists including those who work with the Center for Disease Control and many other medical professionals.

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found an increase in the cases of measles per year (CDC 1.) Measles is fatal in one out of one thousand cases CDC 2). Over the last fifteen years, the CDC has conducted many studies to investigate vaccine safety and have the least numerous reports showing no relationship between vaccinations and autism (Frontline 1). In 2004, the Institute of Medicine had reviewed more than two hundred biological studies for links between vaccines and autism, all reports showing no evidence of a causal relationship between the two (Immunization Action Coalition 1).

The harm of misinformation based on the unproven science of Dr. Andrew Wakefield is incalculable. In 2008, measles had returned in Oregon with additional outbreaks in California, Michigan, and Minnesota as well as the previously mentioned endemic in the UK. Andrew Wakefield and his anti vaxxer adherents are considered the cause of misinformation which has been endorsed by celebrities and as well as non-celebrities (Salon 1).

Project 4

Dr. Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in the late 1700’s, and it has been shown throughout this paper that vaccine development has never ceased. Schedule A provides evidence of the numerous diseases that have been eradicated over the last four centuries and the number of illnesses that are non-lethal because of the availability of vaccines. Dr. Wakefield lost his license to practice in the United Kingdom and is now a discredited academic. No professional studies exist to support Dr. Wakefield’s claims. Since the 1950s, children in the United States and the United Kingdom have been required to obtain certain vaccinations before entering school. This is considered a matter of Public Health.

COVID Pandemic

The COVID Pandemic has caused devasting loss of life, economic well-being and delayed education opportunities since 2020. A vaccine was developed through a world-wide effort to slow the number of deaths and help the global population get back to normal functioning. There have been great successes in many areas. However, much controversy has developed over the vaccines. Some of it is political. Some are misinformation. Lives that could have been saved have been lost due to anti vaxxers. Carla K. Johnson and Mike Stobbe reported the following in a June 29, 2021, article for the Associated Press:

“An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 107,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 1.1%.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.” (Carr 1)

Andrew Wakefield’s theory has been disproven and unfortunately, he still is providing misinformation on other topics.

According to the Daily Mail UK edition dated September 18, 2020, “Andrew Wakefield - the doctor whose bogus claim MMR jabs cause autism sparked anti-vaxx hysteria - to speak at Covid conspiracy protest in London alongside suspended nurse who compared public health restrictions to the Holocaust” (Daily Mail UK 1)

Vaccines have an over 300 -year record of proven Public Health benefits (Kershner 2). Andrew Wakefield has no proven record. Therefore, the benefits of mandatory vaccines and vaccines in general far outweigh any controversies specifically founded on misinformation.

Schedule A

Vaccine Development Chart I*

CenturyDateDisease18th 1798Smallpox19th 1885Rabies 1896Typhoid 1896Cholera 1897PlagueEarly 20th, first half1923Diphtheria 1926Tetanus 1926Pertussis 1927Tuberculosis 1935Yellow Fever 1936Influenza 1938Ricketts20th Century, second half1955Polio, injected 1963Polio, oral 1963Measles 1967Mumps 1969Rubella 1970Anthrax 1974Meningococcus 1977Pneumococcus 1980Adenovirus 1980Rabies 1981Tick-borne 1986Hepatitis B 1987H.influenzae type B 1989Salmonella 1991Cholera 1992Japanese Encephalitis 1993Cholera 1994Typhoid 1995Varicella 1996Acellular Pertussis 1998Lyme Disease 2002Initial research SARS coronavirus vaccines developed for mice 2006HPV