17 Jul 2006 - "I Demand The Right To Clear My Name"
"I Demand The Right To Clear My Name"
By Bonnie Estridge in the Daily Express, UK. Not available
online.
It is 7 am and Dr Andrew Wakefield has come off the phone to
his wife.
But while she is in the living room of their comfortable south
London family
home, he is in the tiny kitchen of his apartment thousands of miles
away in
Austin, Texas.
For the past four years it has been like this, ever since Dr
Wakefield
sought exile in the United States after being forced out of his job
at
London's Royal Free Hospital. His crime? Suggesting that there might
be a
link between the MMR vaccination and autism and bowel disease in
certain
children.
His research whipped up a storm of controversy, led to
inoculation
rates plummeting as worried parents refused to let their children
have the
jab and saw him ostracised by the medical establishment in this
country. The
debate was fuelled further by the Prime Minister's refusal to say
whether
his son Leo had been given the MMR injection.
Yesterday, after a 20-month investigation which has left him
not just
parted from his family but with his professional reputation severely
compromised, it was revealed that the General Medical Council is not
unlikely to proceed with misconduct charges against Dr Wakefield. No
formal
charges have been drawn up, no date has been set for a public
hearing and a
spokeswoman for the GMC said there is now "no guarantee" there will
ever be
a hearing.
Yet anyone expecting the 49-year¬old doctor to be relieved at
this
development is in for a surprise. When the Daily Express broke the
news to
Dr Wakefield in Texas, he replied: "If this is really the case, I
would be
disappointed because I am keen for a hearing to go ahead so the
issue can be
publicly aired in order that the truth might emerge. If I am told
officially
that there has been a decision to drop the hearing, then I will have
to
discuss the next step with my lawyers."
In America, Dr Wakefield is held in high regard for his work.
But,
whatever the ultimate outcome of the furious debate on MMR that his
research
sparked, he will not be returning to Britain to continue it.
"Whatever the outcome of a hearing, I won't be coming back to
work in
the UK. The only chance I will get to complete my work is here in
the US.
The situation in the UK is so entrenched and hostile - despite the
fact that
our findings have been confirmed in other quarters recently.
However, the
Government is determined not to let any aspect of findings in
relation to
this matter move forward."
Nor can those who have ridiculed and vilified his findings
expect that
Dr Wakefield will use this opportunity to seek a lower profile. "I'm
not
going to go away before this work gets done," he says. "This is not
my own
personal crusade ¬ my job is to find the truth."
He is fully backed by his wife, Carmel. She has been left to
bring up
the couple's four children (three sons and a daughter aged between
nine and
17) and bitterly resents what she calls "the disgusting way he has
been
treated because his scientific observations were deeply unpopular.
It's
staggering just how much he has been maligned".
She adds: "We need the hearing to go forward so that Andy can
have the
opportunity to clear his name. There has been a deliberate slur on
his
professional reputation and until his side of the matter becomes
public, his
life is under a continual shadow and therefore so is ours.
"We will be moving to the US so that we can give Andy support
by being
in the same country. His only motive is - and always has been - to
help
these disadvantaged children and the only way forward is to dispel
the myth
created by the Public Health Office. We need a full hearing in a
constituted
forum."
The Daily Express can also reveal today that the demand for
single
vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella - long advocated by Dr
Wakefield -
has reached an all-time high in the past three years. There have been
430,000 doses imported in that time as worried parents prefer to
payout
rather than run the risk of leaving their children unvaccinated - or
let
them undergo the MMR jab.
The revelation will almost certainly add weight to calls for
the NHS
to allow single vaccines to be offered alongside the triple jab for
parents
who remain unconvinced by studies that prove that the MMR route is
safe.
On learning the figures, Dr Wakefield said: "It's clear that
the
protection - against measles particularly - is bigger than we are
led to
believe, and that there is a demand from the public who are sensible
enough
to want to protect their children. It seems that plenty of parents
appear to
be having their children vaccinated privately and therefore paying
out.
"I have never said that parents should shun vaccination and
the'
majority of them realise the benefits of immunisation. But parents
should be
allowed individual vaccines and the Government should provide them
instead
of banning them on the NHS. Parents must be given the choice."
He may be calmly defiant and appear physically robust, but
just how
has all the stress and public drama taken its toll on Wakefield and
his
family? A tall, athletic looking man, he has a friendly demeanour
and a wry
sense of humour, but one detects both weariness and sadness in his
voice.
He lost the job to which he had dedicated himself at the Royal
Free
and has hardly seen his family for the past four years but he
refuses to let
any anger show, or to be emotional about the situation that he is
in. He
simply says: "My family so understands. It's an extremely challenging
situation but something we have no choice but to deal with.
"I get home for a quick visit every few months or so but it's
awful
not seeing the kids every day, not seeing them grow up. Yes, I often
have to
cook for myself - not something I was used to - but I'm not losing
any sleep
over that, or any weight for that matter. It's easy to eat well in
America.
"My work is here now - and what upsets me enormously is the
lack of
care for the children affected by autism and bowel disorders in the
UK.
Crucially, there should be a centre where children can get
appropriate
clinical care and the origins of their disease can be investigated,
as they
now can here.
"But sadly, this just is not happening in the UK and because
of the
vaccine connotations, I am aware that many doctors don't want to get
involved because of the implications for their jobs. I lost mine and
they
don't want to go the same way. This unfortunate situation leaves
these
children without appropriate medical attention."
While he denies fighting a personal crusade, Dr Wakefield's
dedication
appears to be all¬consuming. It has meant that his wife and children
have
only once been able to visit him all at the same time as his
apartment is so
small and the airfares so expensive.
"It is a very difficult, lonely situation for all of us," Mrs
Wakefield admits. "We speak on the phone a couple of times a day and
Andy
makes sure he talks to the kids every day too. But being on
different time
zones can make it difficult for any of us to be in the right place
at the
right time. It's very empty here without him but, of course, it has
to be a
lot worse for him.
"Andy has had to adapt to living alone and although he has
friends
there, he's isolated because he is away from us and that is very,
very hard.
Coping with being so vilified in your 'native country has not been
easy for
him - or any of us for that matter - but he is determined that he
must do
what's right and carry on his research.
"The children have been really amazing. It must hurt immensely
to know
that their father has been ridiculed and that he has had to leave
his home,
but they don't complain because they feel it is right that his work
should
carry on. They know he's doing the right thing by working so far
away - they
know that he is doing it to help other children."
While she would prefer not to leave, Mrs Wakefield says that
she and
the children will soon join her husband for good in America.
"I may have enjoyed going to the US on holiday but it's not my
choice
of home. Before all this we were so settled - Andy was doing good
work and
we had a great life ¬but everything was turned upside down. The fact
is,
though, that Andy has been welcomed with open arms in the US because
of the
massive rise in autism there too.
"The feeling generally there is, quite rightly, that if a
mother's
basic instinct tells her that something in her child had gone wrong
after having had the vaccine, then she should be listened to by doctors. And so in the US they welcome someone who is doing research into the problem. "For this reason, he can work comfortably because he knows that they want him and are happy to fund research."
Dr Wakefield's original research was published by the Lancet in 1998, after carrying out tests at the request of the parents of 12 children who had been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital with serious bowel disorders.
The children had fallen ill after having the vaccination. He recommended further investigation of a possible link. A further separate research paper two years later reported that the measles virus was present in the gut of 24 out of 25 autistic children examined. The publication of the research caused panic among parents. Huge numbers refused to inoculate their babies against measles, mumps and rubella with the MMR vaccine, and at that time the option of having single vaccines was abruptly withdrawn on the NHS. Parents wishing to take this option were faced with fees in excess of £100.
It was then claimed that Dr Wakefield's findings were flawed because he had failed to disclose a £50,000 grant from the lawyers of parents
attempting to sue MMR's manufacturers for their children's disorders. Dr Wakefield has always vehemently denied the claims, maintaining that the grant was for separate research.' The debate became even more heated over the question of whether Leo Blair had been given the MMR jab, and his parents' refusal to confirm or deny it. Again, Dr Wakefield prefers not to be drawn on his feelings over the matter. "It's not helpful to be bitter," he says. "The public deserved then, and still deserve, to know what decision he [the Prime Minister] made at the time."
Carmel Wakefield is also emphatic that the strain of the past few years has not embittered her husband. On the contrary, she insists, he is completely absorbed and stimulated by his work. "Andy is determined to do what's right for children who are suffering or may suffer in the future," she says. "He feels that parents should have the choice between MMR and single vaccines, that it is their right."
By Bonnie Estridge in the Daily Express, UK. Not available
online.
It is 7 am and Dr Andrew Wakefield has come off the phone to
his wife.
But while she is in the living room of their comfortable south
London family
home, he is in the tiny kitchen of his apartment thousands of miles
away in
Austin, Texas.
For the past four years it has been like this, ever since Dr
Wakefield
sought exile in the United States after being forced out of his job
at
London's Royal Free Hospital. His crime? Suggesting that there might
be a
link between the MMR vaccination and autism and bowel disease in
certain
children.
His research whipped up a storm of controversy, led to
inoculation
rates plummeting as worried parents refused to let their children
have the
jab and saw him ostracised by the medical establishment in this
country. The
debate was fuelled further by the Prime Minister's refusal to say
whether
his son Leo had been given the MMR injection.
Yesterday, after a 20-month investigation which has left him
not just
parted from his family but with his professional reputation severely
compromised, it was revealed that the General Medical Council is not
unlikely to proceed with misconduct charges against Dr Wakefield. No
formal
charges have been drawn up, no date has been set for a public
hearing and a
spokeswoman for the GMC said there is now "no guarantee" there will
ever be
a hearing.
Yet anyone expecting the 49-year¬old doctor to be relieved at
this
development is in for a surprise. When the Daily Express broke the
news to
Dr Wakefield in Texas, he replied: "If this is really the case, I
would be
disappointed because I am keen for a hearing to go ahead so the
issue can be
publicly aired in order that the truth might emerge. If I am told
officially
that there has been a decision to drop the hearing, then I will have
to
discuss the next step with my lawyers."
In America, Dr Wakefield is held in high regard for his work.
But,
whatever the ultimate outcome of the furious debate on MMR that his
research
sparked, he will not be returning to Britain to continue it.
"Whatever the outcome of a hearing, I won't be coming back to
work in
the UK. The only chance I will get to complete my work is here in
the US.
The situation in the UK is so entrenched and hostile - despite the
fact that
our findings have been confirmed in other quarters recently.
However, the
Government is determined not to let any aspect of findings in
relation to
this matter move forward."
Nor can those who have ridiculed and vilified his findings
expect that
Dr Wakefield will use this opportunity to seek a lower profile. "I'm
not
going to go away before this work gets done," he says. "This is not
my own
personal crusade ¬ my job is to find the truth."
He is fully backed by his wife, Carmel. She has been left to
bring up
the couple's four children (three sons and a daughter aged between
nine and
17) and bitterly resents what she calls "the disgusting way he has
been
treated because his scientific observations were deeply unpopular.
It's
staggering just how much he has been maligned".
She adds: "We need the hearing to go forward so that Andy can
have the
opportunity to clear his name. There has been a deliberate slur on
his
professional reputation and until his side of the matter becomes
public, his
life is under a continual shadow and therefore so is ours.
"We will be moving to the US so that we can give Andy support
by being
in the same country. His only motive is - and always has been - to
help
these disadvantaged children and the only way forward is to dispel
the myth
created by the Public Health Office. We need a full hearing in a
constituted
forum."
The Daily Express can also reveal today that the demand for
single
vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella - long advocated by Dr
Wakefield -
has reached an all-time high in the past three years. There have been
430,000 doses imported in that time as worried parents prefer to
payout
rather than run the risk of leaving their children unvaccinated - or
let
them undergo the MMR jab.
The revelation will almost certainly add weight to calls for
the NHS
to allow single vaccines to be offered alongside the triple jab for
parents
who remain unconvinced by studies that prove that the MMR route is
safe.
On learning the figures, Dr Wakefield said: "It's clear that
the
protection - against measles particularly - is bigger than we are
led to
believe, and that there is a demand from the public who are sensible
enough
to want to protect their children. It seems that plenty of parents
appear to
be having their children vaccinated privately and therefore paying
out.
"I have never said that parents should shun vaccination and
the'
majority of them realise the benefits of immunisation. But parents
should be
allowed individual vaccines and the Government should provide them
instead
of banning them on the NHS. Parents must be given the choice."
He may be calmly defiant and appear physically robust, but
just how
has all the stress and public drama taken its toll on Wakefield and
his
family? A tall, athletic looking man, he has a friendly demeanour
and a wry
sense of humour, but one detects both weariness and sadness in his
voice.
He lost the job to which he had dedicated himself at the Royal
Free
and has hardly seen his family for the past four years but he
refuses to let
any anger show, or to be emotional about the situation that he is
in. He
simply says: "My family so understands. It's an extremely challenging
situation but something we have no choice but to deal with.
"I get home for a quick visit every few months or so but it's
awful
not seeing the kids every day, not seeing them grow up. Yes, I often
have to
cook for myself - not something I was used to - but I'm not losing
any sleep
over that, or any weight for that matter. It's easy to eat well in
America.
"My work is here now - and what upsets me enormously is the
lack of
care for the children affected by autism and bowel disorders in the
UK.
Crucially, there should be a centre where children can get
appropriate
clinical care and the origins of their disease can be investigated,
as they
now can here.
"But sadly, this just is not happening in the UK and because
of the
vaccine connotations, I am aware that many doctors don't want to get
involved because of the implications for their jobs. I lost mine and
they
don't want to go the same way. This unfortunate situation leaves
these
children without appropriate medical attention."
While he denies fighting a personal crusade, Dr Wakefield's
dedication
appears to be all¬consuming. It has meant that his wife and children
have
only once been able to visit him all at the same time as his
apartment is so
small and the airfares so expensive.
"It is a very difficult, lonely situation for all of us," Mrs
Wakefield admits. "We speak on the phone a couple of times a day and
Andy
makes sure he talks to the kids every day too. But being on
different time
zones can make it difficult for any of us to be in the right place
at the
right time. It's very empty here without him but, of course, it has
to be a
lot worse for him.
"Andy has had to adapt to living alone and although he has
friends
there, he's isolated because he is away from us and that is very,
very hard.
Coping with being so vilified in your 'native country has not been
easy for
him - or any of us for that matter - but he is determined that he
must do
what's right and carry on his research.
"The children have been really amazing. It must hurt immensely
to know
that their father has been ridiculed and that he has had to leave
his home,
but they don't complain because they feel it is right that his work
should
carry on. They know he's doing the right thing by working so far
away - they
know that he is doing it to help other children."
While she would prefer not to leave, Mrs Wakefield says that
she and
the children will soon join her husband for good in America.
"I may have enjoyed going to the US on holiday but it's not my
choice
of home. Before all this we were so settled - Andy was doing good
work and
we had a great life ¬but everything was turned upside down. The fact
is,
though, that Andy has been welcomed with open arms in the US because
of the
massive rise in autism there too.
"The feeling generally there is, quite rightly, that if a
mother's
basic instinct tells her that something in her child had gone wrong
after having had the vaccine, then she should be listened to by doctors. And so in the US they welcome someone who is doing research into the problem. "For this reason, he can work comfortably because he knows that they want him and are happy to fund research."
Dr Wakefield's original research was published by the Lancet in 1998, after carrying out tests at the request of the parents of 12 children who had been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital with serious bowel disorders.
The children had fallen ill after having the vaccination. He recommended further investigation of a possible link. A further separate research paper two years later reported that the measles virus was present in the gut of 24 out of 25 autistic children examined. The publication of the research caused panic among parents. Huge numbers refused to inoculate their babies against measles, mumps and rubella with the MMR vaccine, and at that time the option of having single vaccines was abruptly withdrawn on the NHS. Parents wishing to take this option were faced with fees in excess of £100.
It was then claimed that Dr Wakefield's findings were flawed because he had failed to disclose a £50,000 grant from the lawyers of parents
attempting to sue MMR's manufacturers for their children's disorders. Dr Wakefield has always vehemently denied the claims, maintaining that the grant was for separate research.' The debate became even more heated over the question of whether Leo Blair had been given the MMR jab, and his parents' refusal to confirm or deny it. Again, Dr Wakefield prefers not to be drawn on his feelings over the matter. "It's not helpful to be bitter," he says. "The public deserved then, and still deserve, to know what decision he [the Prime Minister] made at the time."
Carmel Wakefield is also emphatic that the strain of the past few years has not embittered her husband. On the contrary, she insists, he is completely absorbed and stimulated by his work. "Andy is determined to do what's right for children who are suffering or may suffer in the future," she says. "He feels that parents should have the choice between MMR and single vaccines, that it is their right."