Medical journal retracts research paper that linked autism to MMR vaccine -- 12 years later

The British medical journal, The Lancet, has issued a full retraction of a research paper it published 12 years ago, linking a cause of autism to the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). A BBC report says the journal has now accepted that the report was false. The move came after Britain's General Medical Council ruled last week that Dr Andrew Wakefield, the lead researcher in the 1998 paper, broke research rules. After the study appeared, a controversy erupted in the UK over vaccinations and many parents were afraid to vaccinate their children. As a result, the measles rate increased. The paper had been partially retracted years ago after the journal learned that Dr. Wakefield had accepted money from attorneys who represented parents who believed their children were harmed by the MMR vaccine. The full retraction goes further, saying saying the research was fundamentally flawed because of a lack of ethical approval and the way the children's illnesses were presented. Dr Wakefield, who now lives and works in the U.S. said the findings were "unjust and unfounded." As one doctor commented, the entire episode makes doctors and the media realize that they must be very certain of the strength of a study that affects public health before publishing it.