11:26am Tuesday 9th February 2010
BARRY Nelson’s article regarding links between MMR and autism (Echo, Feb 4) was irresponsible journalism and scaremongering. It is shameful The Northern Echo has based an entire article on one person’s perception of “a possibility”.
The medical profession cannot base its conclusions on anecdotal evidence – we use randomised controlled trials. I am yet to see a trial of any kind, with the exception of Dr Andrew Wakefield’s flawed and unethical research, now retracted, that points to any link between autism and MMR.
The researcher quoted in your article states: “We are not saying that there definitely is a link, we are just saying we should find out.” Don’t you think we should wait until he has “found out”
before printing this?
Articles like this have caused a resurgence in life-threatening measles cases in this country. I thought the Echo would have been more conscious of the public health implications of this article.
The Committee on Safety of Medicines, Medical Research Council and The Cochrane Collaboration review organisation have not found any evidence of a link between MMR and autism. There is no link. I fear that due to falling vaccine uptake as people read articles like this we will re-enter a time when children die of preventable infections. This would be a tragedy.
Dr K Wilson, Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton.
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