--- title: The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. Here's Why It Endures Today description: February 28, 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of an infamous article by Andrew Wakefield, which started the enduring vaccine-autism myth. canonical: https://time.com/5175704/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-autism/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-28T15:00:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:47.780Z article:section: Health og:title: The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. It Still Endures Today og:description: It's the 20th anniversary of an infamous article linking vaccines to autism og:url: https://time.com/5175704/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-autism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. It Still Endures Today twitter:description: It's the 20th anniversary of an infamous article linking vaccines to autism twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. Here's Why It Still Endures Today > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: President Trump Continues to Push Conspiracy Theories [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Continues to Push Conspiracy Theories](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wXkEaMac.m3u8) (3:53)  _Published 2017-12-05. Donald Trump built his political career on a conspiracy theory: The false claim that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States._ by [Jonathan D. Quick, MD, MPH](https://time.com/author/jonathan-d-quick-md-mph/) and [Heidi Larson](https://time.com/author/heidi-larson/) Feb 28, 2018 3:00 PM UTC by [Jonathan D. Quick, MD, MPH](https://time.com/author/jonathan-d-quick-md-mph/) and [Heidi Larson](https://time.com/author/heidi-larson/) Feb 28, 2018 3:00 PM UTC Anti-vaccination headlines—like “HPV vaccine leaves another 17-year-old-girl paralyzed”—populate the Internet. That, and “Mom researches vaccines, discovers vaccination horrors, goes vaccine free,” are just a few examples of the fake science news stories shared this month on Facebook. If you are a parent on social media, you’ve likely seen many posts just like these. Maybe you’ve even clicked on one, curious. What’s the harm, right? As a family physician with four decades of experience fighting preventable disease around the globe and a professor of anthropology, risk and decision science studying global vaccine confidence, we’ve seen the deadly harm that fraudulent science and unfounded claims can cause. The vaccine-autism myth is one chilling example of [fraudulent science](http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452). February 28, 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of an infamous article published in the prestigious medical journal, _The Lancet_, in which Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor, falsely linked the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to autism. The paper eventually was retracted by the co-authors and the journal. Wakefield was de-licensed by medical authorities for his deceit and “callous disregard” for children in his care. It took nearly two decades for the UK immunization rates to recover. By the end, UK families had experienced more than 12,000 cases of measles, hundreds of hospitalizations — many with serious complications — and at least three deaths. Stunningly, the vaccine-autism myth still persists. It was amplified by the British media during its early years, later by celebrity endorsement and more recently by worldwide social media. Wakefield has continued his own relentless personal campaigning, moving well beyond the initial MMR vaccine scaremongering [to attacking the CDC ](http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/discredited-autism-guru-andrew-wakefield-takes-aim-cdc/7pBs9pYH4ssmaBXe6kQ1WM/) in his [controversial film _Vaxxed_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/25/7-things-about-vaccines-and-autism-that-the-movie-vaxxed-wont-tell-you/)_._ The film was pulled before screening at the Tribeca Film Festival but found its way into independent theaters in the U.S. and Europe. Europe’s [four-fold increase in measles cases and 35 measles-related deaths](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/health/measles-europe.html) in 2017 — due largely to people not getting vaccinated — also reflects how Wakefield’s vaccine-autism scare can spark vaccine refusals that lead to debilitating and fatal cases of measles. In the U.S., measles was declared eliminated in 2000\. Since 2000, however, there has been a resurgence of measles, with more than 2,216 reported cases. Wakefield’s anti-vaccine fanaticism contributed to the 2015 outbreak in Disneyland in California, which eventually infected more than 130 people, and to the [2017 measles outbreaks in Minnesota](https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/02/health/minnesota-measles-outbreak-bn/index.html), where his message persuaded many parents not to vaccinate their children. The vaccine-autism myth has also prompted an alarming number of millennials — the generation that came of age in the era of Wakefield’s misinformation —in the U.S. not to vaccinate their children. Vaccine reluctance does not apply just to measles; flu kills [100 to 300 children under age 5](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/growing-number-young-children-dying-flu-n841136) each year, and up to 85% of them were not vaccinated when they died. What will it take to protect parents and children from this kind of fraudulent science? First, trust is vital in order for people to accept health interventions. The messenger can be more important than the message. Thus, the advice of trusted primary healthcare providers, families and friends is often much more influential than the cold facts of official sources. Fortunately, trust can be built or rebuilt over time, as the UK demonstrated when it reached 95% measles immunization coverage. Second, the medical community must redouble its efforts to ensure the integrity of its evidence. And it must move rapidly to address suspected scientific fraud. Wakefield was not disciplined by the UK medical authorities, nor was the article retracted by _The Lancet_ until 2010, despite serious concerns raised by experts at the time of publication and the 2004 expose on Wakefield’s sloppy science and retraction by co-authors. Third, print and broadcast media have a special responsibility to provide clear, evidenced-based reporting. The decline in MMR immunization following Wakefield’s article was accelerated by the [pro-Wakefield UK media](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/28/mmr-doctor-timeline), despite increasingly strong evidence refuting Wakefield’s claims. Conversely, the recovery from Wakefield’s damaging impact was catalyzed by the 2004 investigative journalism reports exposing Wakefield’s flawed science and conflicts of interest. Truth wins, if we’re committed to telling it. Fourth, state health officials must ensure that public health policies are enforced as intended. The rise in measles cases in many states resulted from the loosening of immunization requirements for school entry. California has raised its vaccine coverage by enacting [stronger vaccination policies](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-vaccination-20170412-story.html) to curtail such exemptions. Finally, in an age of social media, frequent distrust of authorities and increasing epidemic threats, parents and educators have a vital role in helping children from an early age learn the skills of critical thinking and informed skepticism to discern life-saving facts from fatal fictions. Over a century ago, American writer Mark Twain quipped, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” This has certainly been the case for the vaccine-autism myth. In a world in which fabricated science is plentiful and spreads rapidly, we must be vigilant if we are to avert epidemics that would have been prevented were it not for vaccine denial. Too much is at stake for ourselves and our children to not apply the lessons from the vaccine-autism debacle to avert the dangerous long-term consequences when fake science gains traction and threatens the health and lives of everyone. _Dr. Quick is a senior fellow at the nonprofit Management Sciences for Health and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. His new book, “_[_The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It_](http://www.endofepidemics.com/)_,” will be published January 30 by St. Martin’s Press._ _Heidi Larson is director of the Vaccine Confidence Project and Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine._ ## Transcript " Donald Trump built his political career on a conspiracy theory: the idea that President Obama was not born in the United States ." [ MUSIC ] " Trump repeatedly pushed the idea in interviews and on social media, long after it was disproved ." Why doesn't he show his birth certificate. And I have my own theory on Obama. It's one of the greatest scams in the history of politics. But it's not the only conspiracy theory he's indulged, on a campaign trail and in the White House he's toyed with some outlandish ideas. That Ted Cruz's father might be involved in the Kennedy assassination. His father ws with Lee Harvey Oslwald what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oslwald Right. Shortly, before the deaths, before the shooting. Did anybody ever deny that it was the father? They're not saying," that wasn't really my father ." It's a little hard to do, cuz it looks like him. That Marco Rubio may not be elligible to run for president, an argument no contstitutional scholar supported. You're really not sure that Marco Rubio is elligible Eligible to run for president. I don't know. I really, I've never looked at it George. Honestly, I've never looked at it. Somebody said he's not and I retweeted it. That routine vaccation cause autism a theory scientests have long debunked. The child, a beautiful child, went to have the vaccine and came back, and, a week a later got a tremendous fever, got very very sick, now is autisic. We have extremely. [ MUSIC ] Well documented proof that there's no autism associated with vaccinations. That supreme court justice Anton and Scalia might have been murdered. Scalia was he murdered? I know it's pretty brutal to say that. It's a horrible topic but they say they found the pillow on his face, which is a pretty unual place to find a pillow. I can't tell you what, I can't give you an answer. That Muslims in New Jersey cheered after 9 / 11. A claim no one has ever substantiated. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering. And the other side of New Jersey where you have large Arab populations, they were cheering as the World Trade Center came down. That millions of Americans voted illegally in 2016. Sixteen, a claim with no factual support. Does the president believe that millions voted illegally in this election? He continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him. What evidence do you have? I, I, as I said, I think the president has believed that for a while based on studies and information he has. That Climate Change is a hoax. All of this with the global warming and the that a lot of it's a hoax. It's a hoax. I mean it's a money making industry okay? A Sussian meddling in the 2016 election is a hoax. [ MUSIC ] And according to a recent New York Times report that the Acess hollywood viideo of him admitting to grabbing women's genital Is a hoax even though he apologized for it when it came out. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize. It's not clear how much Trump really believes these ideas. He's backed down from some in the past. Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period. Only to indulge them again later. [ MUSIC ] Some of the theories have helped Trump politically by tearing down rivals or creating doubt about policies he opposes. Others have hurt him, as polls show voters increasingly question his judgment. But one thing is clear, Donald Trump is not going to stop talking about conspiracy theories. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5175704/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-autism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5175704/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-autism/"},"headline":"The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. 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