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Health See other Health Articles Title: Andrew Wakefield Andrew Wakefield (born 1957 in the United Kingdom) is a Canadian trained surgeon and the lead author of a controversial 1998 research study, published in The Lancet, which reported bowel symptoms in a prospective case series of twelve consecutive vaccinated children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities, and alleged a possible connection with the MMR vaccination.[1] Citing safety concerns, in a press conference held in conjunction with the release of the report, Wakefield recommended separating the components of the injections by at least a year. Given the widespread media coverage of Wakefield's claims, his recommendation was deemed responsible for a decrease in immunisation rates in the UK.[2] The section of the paper setting out its conclusions was subsequently retracted by ten of the paper's thirteen authors.[3] Following the controversy, in March, 2004, the British General Medical Council (GMC) announced it was launching an inquiry into allegations of serious professional misconduct against Wakefield and two former colleagues.[4] It centred on claims, brought forth by journalist Brian Deer, that autistic and neurotypical children may have been subjected to unnecessary lumbar punctures and colon biopsies,[5] including one colonoscopy that caused the child life-threatening perforations of the bowel.[6] Additionally, Wakefield is accused by the GMC of suppressing and falsifying data based on the testimony of Dr. Stephen Bustin and Dr. Nicholas Chadwick during the Autism Omnibus vaccine hearing in June, 2007.[7] However, some of the children's parents are understood to have staunchly defended the doctor, praising him as the first to take their concerns seriously. Wakefield's hearing began on July 16, 2007.[8] Wakefield has since described, in several journals including the Journal of Clinical Immunology, what he terms a new disease, autistic enterocolitis, because symptoms are unlike other childhood intestinal disorders. However, critics contend that Wakefield has not shown any evidence that this disease exists, and that autistic enterocolitis is not recognized by the scientific community.[9] Since arriving in the United States in the wake of the MMR vaccine controversy, over which he is accused of scientific misconduct and data fixing,[10] Wakefield has continued to treat patients at the Thoughtful House, a centre for autistic children in Texas.[11]
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