Medical Journal Retracts Study Linking Autism to MMR Vaccine

By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- For years parents with autistic children have linked their condition to the measles vaccine. Now the British medical journal that first connected the two has retracted the article saying there's no proof the vaccine causes autism.

The medical community is praising the decision, but some parents still aren't convinced.

This study was controversial from the start. It even stopped some parents from giving their children the vaccine. But an outspoken advocate for autistic children in the metro still believes the study.

Wayne Rhode has a 12-year-old son with autism. He believes the Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine is partly to blame for his son's condition.

"We know that it was a contributing factor. We're not saying that's what caused everything because there is a genetic component, but there are environmental triggers so they work hand in hand," said Wayne Rhode, an advocate for children with autism.

Rhode points to the study done in 1998 and published in the British medical journal The Lancet, which linked autism to the MMR vaccine.

But now the journal is retracting the article saying the claims are false. British medical regulators have accused the author of the report, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, of unethical behavior.

"The allegations against me and my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust," said Dr. Wakefield.

"What The Lancet has done is probably succumbed to a lot of pressure by pharmaceutical companies over in Great Britain plus maybe their government," Rhode said.

But pediatrician Dr. Don Wilber said the journal did the right thing retracting the article.

"Those of us in the medical community particularly, in pediatrics where we give so many immunizations, have known for years that this was probably not actual correct information," said Dr. Don Wilber.

Dr. Wilber also serves as Chairman of the Vaccine Advisory Committee for the Oklahoma State Health Department. He said the MMR vaccine is safe.

"I've used it for 28 years. I've never had a problem with it," Dr. Wilbur said.

There have been several published studies since the 1998 report that have also failed to find a link between autism and the MMR vaccine.

Dr. Wilber said parents should always talk to their doctors about vaccinations if they have any questions.

Following the 1998 article, the number of children in Great Britain getting the vaccine declined and there was a rise in children contracting measles.