Today, Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who instigated the MMR vaccine scare in 1998, was ruled to have acted unethically by the GMC.
It is interesting to note that the main points raised by the GMC (according to BBC news) were primarily concerned with the way in which he had taken blood samples from children. He was also accused of being dishonest for failing to dislose that he was being paid by solicitors employed by parents who belived their children had been victims of the MMR jab. So, no actual science at all then. It is quite clear that the GMC, unable to reason against Mr Wakefield on scientific gounds, instead sought to discredit him with what basically amounts to name calling.
I freely admit that I do not know all the ins and outs of this case, or if MMR causes autism, but one thing I do know is that injecting toxic chemicals into your body is neither a safe, nor intelligent, thing to do.
The graph that has been produced to show that measles cases have increased as a direct result of the lack of uptake of the MMR jab clearly shows nothing of the sort. Between 1996 and 2003, it could be argued that the two variable follow similar trends, with MMR uptake declining slightly and measles increasing slightly, however after 2003 MMR uptake increases again and then stabilises, yet measles cases increase dramatically showing that despite MMR uptake increasing there appears to be no gained protection agains measles.
Furthermore, the uptake of MMR declined in total by only around 4% from around 90% to around 86% whereas measles cases have risen from around 100 cases to around 1,400 cases, approximately 1,400%. It can be clearly seen that the two percentage changes are not related in any way.
The graph really shows no correllation at all between the two variables and is infact much more likely a good indicator that MMR has nothing whatsoever to do with the number of measles cases. Certainly, in my opinion, this is the truth of the matter.
argon rain 
Oh, the arrogance of intelligent ignorance!
You say “I do know is that injecting toxic chemicals into your body is neither a safe, nor intelligent, thing to do”. The measles vaccine is not toxic, so this is irrelevant. It is a lot safer to have a small amount of the vaccine than to risk the brain damage, deafness and other nasty side-effects that can come with the virus. The natural virus is the nasty toxic chemical, not the artificial vaccine. Natural is not synonymous with good; earthquakes are natural but most people don’t think they’re good. The virus is nasty.
You say “The graph really shows no correllation at all between the two variables and is in fact much more likely a good indicator that MMR has nothing whatsoever to do with the number of measles cases.” Rubbish! With poisoning due to environmental contamination (e.g. problems due to lead or mercury levels) you might expect a monotonic relationship. With contagious diseases, high level of immunity (acquired through vaccination or earlier infection) are what prevents epidemics. If you expect to see a correlation (in the statistical sense), then you don’t understand disease trajectories.
“Certainly, in my opinion, this is the truth of the matter.” Well, certainly, in my opinion, you demonstrate the danger of an intelligent person thinking their little knowledge will go a lot further than it does. It is not the truth, it is your opinion founded on ignorance. And this lack of understanding of basic science is a problem in the world today; intelligent people who have no idea of how limited their knowledge is, how poor their understanding is.
My name is Piter Jankovich. oOnly want to tell, that your blog is really cool
And want to ask you: is this blog your hobby?
P.S. Sorry for my bad english
Hi Peter, thanks for your comment. Yes, this is a bit of a hobby of mine. I just occasionally write about subjects that I think are important (when I have the time!)