I have posted two diaries on this complex in the last two days and attracted a hysterical clutch of comments, so here goes again:
After Keith Olbermann declared Andrew Wakefield 10th February's "Worst Person in the World" on the basis of an 8th February article in Fox News' sister-outlet, the London Sunday Times by Brian Deer, KO got slammed by autism-concern parents for falling for another Murdoch character assassination (as did, I might add, a great deal of fellow Kossacks). On 11th February, KO did the right thing and named Brian Deer bronze medallist worst person (HuffPo, with link). The UK quality press has also weighed in, calling the aspersions on Wakefield what they are: A witchhunt.
Today also saw the first rulings in the Vaccine Trials in the US; the court ruled that the plaintiffs had not shown that the MMR shot and Thimerosal had caused autism in the three test cases presented.
The witchhunt for Andrew Wakefield is a mystery to me - if the man is a fraud and a crank, then ignoring him would be the most effective strategy. Instead, somebody seems to have a strong interest in creating in the public mind an identification of three issues: MMR/vaccines, autism, Wakefield. Having done that, kill Wakefield's reputation, and the MMR/vaccines and autism complex goes away. Judging by some of my fellow Kossacks, this has been successful.
[I am of course a conspiracy nut, and I know that Rupert Murdoch is the current Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. He has taken control of Britain's General Medical Council (the agency that was so insulted by Wakefield's original 1998 piece they hounded him out of Britain, like other doctors that weren't "sound"). Rupert Murdoch has also forged an alliance with the Elders of Zion, Opus Dei and the Illuminati, and consequently has control of the black helicopters, so watch out (hang around for the comments and you'll see what I mean).]
As for the Vaccine Court ruling, the worst potential consequence of the ruling is that it might slow down research into the causes of autism and into the safety of multiple-vaccine jabs and ever earlier-age vaccination (and vaccine stabilisers).
A fair number of my fellow Kossacks are convinced that vaccine science has achieved the hitherto impossible and has finally proved a negative: It has proved that vaccines are completely innocent of any link to autism.
[So go down to your doctor, demand a vaccine (as many as possible so you don't have to go again), and ask for an extra dose of Thimerosal (for those who don't know, Thimerosal is a mercury compound now largely banned from most vaccines). Thimerosal also has been proven totally harmless so it must be good for you.
If you disagree with this, you are hysterical, ignorant and anti-science. Moreover, you are anti-vaccine and YOU are responsible for all those horrible measles deaths because people didn't vaccinate just because of YOU.]
While it is correct to say that no study has established a link between vaccines and autism or Thimerosal and autism or vaccine+Thimerosal and autism, the really fundamental point is that there is an autism epidemic going on, with autism rates tripling every 20 years, and no explanation.
Too much research has focussed on the totally futile job of disproving linkages; a fool's errand because it can't be done (or can be done only for an arbitrarily restricted set of criteria). Reasonable scientists have found methodological faults with studies that purport to show an absence of links, and with the interpretation of the results, maintaining that studies cited as evidence of the absence of links actually suggest a linkage. Anyone who claims that the science here is solid has their mind firmly closed.
What is needed is open-minded autism research (this is going on, including at the previously Bush-science based CDC).
As a separate issue, vaccine manufacturers should be obliged to show that multiple jabs are as harmless as the individual jabs, and that the ever more aggressive vaccination schedules that are being pushed by doctors are indeed sensible.
Finally, the medical establishment needs to be open and honest with the public. We don't know what's going on with autism (as both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have acknowledged), and so long as we have not fingered a culprit, everyone remains a suspect.
Apologies for the lack of links (you'll find all the relevant ones in my previous posts if you're really interested, but most posters know what they need to do just on the basis of the tag "Wakefield" so I won't waste time on links), and I'm sorry I won't have time to monitor the diary. Have at it.