Andrew Wakefield
The 1998 medical study, later fully discredited, caused a global public health scare by falsely linking the MMR vaccine to autism and bowel disease in children
what is the wakefield study
Despite over 7.6 million vaccinations being administered in children and adolescents, this number of deaths occurred due to vaccine associated anaphylaxis in a 2003 study
What is zero
such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and sclerosing panencephalitis, and fatality rates as high as 1 to ten deaths per 1000 cases are caused by this
measles
the process where experts from a specific field or discipline evaluate the quality and validity of a peer's research
what is peer reviewed
despite being disproven, wakefield's claim helped fuel this dangerous public health movement that still affects vaccine rates today
what is the anti-vaccination movement
rates of less than 1 in 1 million are associated with this
the measles vaccine
The body is fighting the weakened version of the virus, a process that prepares the immune system to easily combat the pathogen if exposed to it in the future
Why do side effects occur from the vaccine
single blind review is where an author's identity is known and the reviewer is anonymous. double blind review is when the author and reviewer are anonymous to each other. open peer review is when the author and reviewers identity is disclosed
what is the three main types of peer review
a charge was made by the general medical council of england for unethical practices, including the improper collection of blood samples
what was andrew wakefield charged for
as of may 2025, 83% out of 1298 confirmed measle cases are this
unvaccinated individuals
nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; joint and muscle pain; low fever, runny nose, and a cough; headache and dizziness; and redness, burning, stinging, swelling, or hives
What are the side effects of the measle vaccines
These four qualities - expertise, objectivity, confidentiality, and timeliness - are essential to this process.
what are key elements to peer review
religious beliefs, family tradition, misinformation, and fear of adverse side effects, fear of are all reasons as to this
why parents choose not to vaccinate their children
Studies say that children who got the MMR and varicella vaccine separate, have a 4 in 10 000 chance to develop seizures caused by a fever
What is the rarity of developing severe symptoms
information being provided about vaccines in a trusted location such as a place of worship and by religious leaders as well as informing of the real risks of vaccines and their manufacturing process are all ways to combat this
misinformation about vaccines