Saint or sinner?

Doctor Andrew Wakefield, looking tired and drawn, warmly embraced a teenager as the media scrum gathered around for the story’s defining image.

That young boy was Josh Edwards, a 17-year-old from Hampshire with autism. And the picture, snapped outside the General Medical Council (GMC) headquarters, represented one side of a bitter argument surrounding the triple MMR vaccination.

Josh and his mum Heather, from Gosport, had been among a band of placard-wielding parents gathered outside the hearing in London to hear the fate of the doctor who had come to symbolise their case against the MMR vaccine.

When the news came, it was devastating and Heather shed tears.

Wakefield had been found guilty of a series of professional misconduct charges relating to his now widely discredited 1998 research paper, suggesting a link between autism, inflammatory bowel disease and the triple MMR vaccination.

Although the study did not directly prove the link (nor set out to do so) it was later inferred by Wakefield when he suggested that parents avoid the MMR until further research was carried out.

The resulting slump in the uptake of MMR has led to an outbreak of measles and mumps in this country and fears of an epidemic. At least one child has died.

Wakefield’s research methods were branded “unethical” by the GMC who ruled the doctor had “abused his position of trust”, acting dishonestly and irresponsibly in carrying out research on children against their best interests and without official permission. He was accused of bringing disrepute upon the whole medical profession and faces being struck off the medical register.

But for the loyal band outside the hearing last Thursday, the disgraced doctor is a hero of sorts – the lone voice adding weight to their conviction that the MMR vaccine harmed their children.

Heather, 42, believes Wakefield is the victim of a plot to discredit him and shore up confidence in the Government’s vaccination programme.

She remains convinced that her son Josh’s autism and inflammatory bowel disease were caused by the MMR jab he had as a baby.

She has been certain from the day of his injection, when he began displaying signs of a reaction, including speech problems, severe diarrhoea and uncharacteristic behaviour.

Today, life for Josh and his family is a daily battle to cope with the condition that has spread throughout his digestive system.

The youngster has endured countless operations and tests – including a procedure to remove his entire bowel – and now survives on a diet of low-calorie milk because he cannot digest solid food.

Josh’s body remains unresponsive to the daily cocktail of drugs he is prescribed and experts on both sides of the Atlantic have failed to ease the constant pain he suffers. Now Josh faces yet another operation, this time to fit him with a permanent feeding tube directly into his stomach.

Throughout it all, Josh’s autism means he remains locked in his own world, unable to reach out to others and tell them how he is feeling.

For years Heather and her husband Nick have searched for answers to their son’s condition in the hope of at last finding an effective treatment. In 2006 their search led them to America – and to Dr Wakefield.

“Josh was having more exploratory tests out there,” says Heather. “While we were there we arranged to meet Dr Wakefield to talk to him about Josh. He was a great help to us. He is a wonderful and caring doctor and the only one that has listened to the parents and treated them with respect instead of dismissing us as neurotic. The way he has been treated is outrageous.”

Even as Wakefield faces being struck off the medical register, Heather and parents like her remain fiercely loyal to him. “He’s being made an example of. He stepped out of line and said something the Government didn’t like.

“This hearing wasn’t about his research methods – it was about promoting the Government’s vaccination programme and shoring up confidence in the MMR. The whole thing was one big cover-up.

“If his research was so unethical why have none of the parents of the children involved complained?

The only thing Dr Wakefield is guilty of is trying to care for the health and well-being of our children.

“I actually don’t think this will bring back confidence in the MMR, I really don’t. You only need to look at children like Josh to see what it can do. The public can draw their own conclusions from this. This is not the end. We will continue to fight until we get answers.”

At the heart of Heather’s crusade is a desire to improve her son’s quality of life and prevent other families going through what she has.

“All we’ve ever wanted is to find out what damaged our children so we can seek better treatment,” says Heather who is considering reopening her compensation claim,which was rejected in 2004 due to lack of evidence.

“I want a better understanding of autism. I want Josh to be accepted for who he is and I want the Government to bring back single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella so parents have a choice.

“I don’t believe there’s one answer to autism.

In some cases it could have genetic links, in others it might be caused by a difficult labour.

But there is no doubt in my mind that Josh’s problems were caused by the MMR. I watched my son regress overnight.”

While the fate of Dr Wakefield hangs in the balance, parents continue to be directed to the NHS website for information on MMR.

Under the heading “Truths About MMR”

parents are advised: “MMR immunisation is the safest way that parents can protect their children against measles, mumps and rubella – diseases that can be serious for babies, young children and their families.

TIMELINE ■ 1998 The Lancet publishes Dr Wakefield’s paper outlining a link between autism and bowel disease. Although no direct link between autism and MMR was proven in the study, Dr Wakefield recommended that single vaccines be used until further investigations were carried out. The resulting public scare has led to a slump in MMR vaccines and an outbreak of measles and mumps in this country. ■ 2001 Dr Wakefield is forced from his job at London’s Royal Free Hospital over allegations that his research was flawed. His resignation came just one month after he was made fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in recognition of his research work. ■ 2004 Dr Wakefield is accused of secretly being paid by solicitors acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by the MMR. The Lancet said it would never have accepted Dr Wakefield’s “fatally flawed” paper had it known of the alleged conflict of interest. In a further twist, medical evidence due to be examined by Dr Wakefield is mysteriously destroyed. The tissue sample from Hampshire patient Josh Edwards is mysteriously removed from a hospital freezer. The incident was blamed on “a breakdown in communication” but Josh’s parents claim the sample – which they believe might have proved their son’s health problems were caused by the MMR – was sabotaged deliberately. ■ 2007 Dr Wakefield and two of his colleagues are put on trial by the GMC for medical misconduct. Angry parents who believe their children were harmed by the MMR jab stage protests in support of Dr Wakefield. Meanwhile Dr Wakefield has been working in America, where he is now the executive director of research at Thoughtful House, a non-profitmaking school and clinic in Austin, Texas, which treats children with autism from all over the world. ■ 2010 The GMC find Dr Wakefield guilty of professional misconduct. Charges against him include subjecting vulnerable children to “inappropriate and invasive” medical procedures, paying children £5 for blood samples at his son’s birthday party and accepting money from solicitor’s for research to support a group of parents’ attempts to fight for compensation. The GMC must now decide what sanctions – such as striking him off the medical register – should be imposed.