Study linking MMR Vaccine to Childhood Autism Retracted

The Lancet retracts 1998 paper linking widely-used MMR vaccine to childhood autism and bowel disorders.
Study linking MMR Vaccine to Childhood Autism Retracted
Medical assistant Elissa Ortivez draws an MMR vaccination at the Spanish Peaks Outreach Clinic on August 5, 2009 in Walsenburg, Colorado. (John Moore/Getty Images)
2/2/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/UK-C.jpg" alt="Medical assistant Elissa Ortivez draws an MMR vaccination at the Spanish Peaks Outreach Clinic on August 5, 2009 in Walsenburg, Colorado.  (John Moore/Getty Images)" title="Medical assistant Elissa Ortivez draws an MMR vaccination at the Spanish Peaks Outreach Clinic on August 5, 2009 in Walsenburg, Colorado.  (John Moore/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1822774"/></a>
Medical assistant Elissa Ortivez draws an MMR vaccination at the Spanish Peaks Outreach Clinic on August 5, 2009 in Walsenburg, Colorado.  (John Moore/Getty Images)
British medical journal, The Lancet, officially retracted a 1998 paper linking the widely-used MMR vaccine—mumps, measles, rubella (German measles)—to childhood autism and bowel disorders.

After an in-depth investigation, a U.K. medical panel discredited Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s findings because he violated ethical codes by accepting money to research allegations that MMR vaccines were harming children.

His paper was highly influential causing many concerned parents to refuse the MMR shot, particularly in Britain. The panel called Dr. Wakefield “irresponsible and dishonest” showing a “callous disregard” for children, reported CBC news.

The General Medical Council only considered how the researcher did his work, not the findings themselves.