Andrew Wakefield Should Be Tried

Remember Doctor Andrew Wakefield, who made the controversial connection between autism and vaccines? The Sunday Times has now reported that he manipulated his data.

As the article describes, these bogus results have led to a ten-year decrease in vaccinated children in the UK. Personally, my pediatrician warned me that my Brooklyn neighborhood no longer enjoys herd immunity, because so many parents are opting out. Since no vaccination is 100% effective, my daughter could get measles if we had an outbreak.

From the Sunday Times: "Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease." Those deaths should be directly attributed to Wakefield, who is defending himself from the allegations.

I hope we can end the vaccination debate once and for all and find the true causes of autism. In the meantime, parents -- please -- vaccinate your kids.

Thank you to JeanneSager at Babble.com for her post.