Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe

Director Andrew Wakefield was main author of the study printed in the scientific journal "The Lancet" in 1998, which started the controversy between vaccines and autism. This study was later retracted by The Lancet, and Wakefield lost his medical license as a result. Dr. Wakefield, however, was not the only one found guilty. Co-author of the study Dr. J.A. Walker-Smith was also found guilty and stricken from the medical record by the same ruling of the General Medical Council (GMC) in Britain in 2010, although he had retired from practice in 2001. In contrast to Dr. Wakefield's insurance carrier, Dr. Walker-Smith's paid for an appeal, and in 2012 the High Court under Justice Mitting cleared Walker-Smith of all charges, concluding that the GMC's ruling had been flawed by "inadequate and superficial reasoning, and, in a number of instances, a wrong conclusion." Mr. Justice Mitting even called for changes in the way the GMC's hearings are conducted, saying "It would be a misfortune if this were to happen again."

Featured in Sunrise: Episode dated 24 August 2017 (2017)