Media dis&dat reports that Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who published a study allegedly linking MMR vaccine and autism, has been accused of “cooking” the data to fit his theory. Wakefield’s findings led to a sharp decline in the percentage of children receiving vaccinations for MMR and other childhood diseases, leading to a resurgence of these diseases in areas where herd immunity is lower than optimal.
I just received a copy of Paul Offit’s book, Autism’s False Prophets, which I hope to read soon (after the pile of papers I just received from my disability history class!)