Two and a half years of controversy and recrimination peaked at the end of January when Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who claimed to have discovered a link between measles virus, bowel diseases and autism and thereby sparked widespread fear of the combined MMR jab, was severely censured by Britain’s General Medical Council. It said that he was “dishonest, irresponsible and showed callous disregard for the distress and pain of children”.

The sad story began in 1998 when Dr Wakefield published a paper in The Lancet claiming that it was unsafe for children to receive a combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. The paper was based only on data gathered from 8 children, but there was enough evidence to suggest, he told a press conference, that single doses should be given a year apart. Many parents panicked and immunization rates dropped significantly. Subsequently there were outbreaks of measles in the UK amongst children whose parents refused to give them the vaccine.

The GMC found that Wakefield had flouted ethical rules in the trial. He subjected children to invasive tests such as lumbar punctures and colonoscopies that they did not need and for which he had no ethical approval. He also concealed from The Lancet his financial interest in the outcome of the trial

Dr Shona Hilton, of the Medical Research Council, told the Guardian that the scare had undermined parents’ trust in MMR vaccination. "Thankfully confidence is returning and the uptake of MMR vaccine is increasing," she said. "We need to continue rebuilding trust with parents that MMR vaccination is safe and ensure that those parents caring for children with autism do not blame themselves."

In April the GMC will decide whether Wakefield and his two colleagues have been guilty of serious professional misconduct, which could result in their deregistration. Dr Wakefield told the media that "The allegations against me and against my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust .” Thousands, mainly parents of autistic children, still support him enthusiastically.

The Lancet withdrew the controversial article a few days after the GMC hearing, although it had published a partial retraction in 2004, signed by 10 of the 13 original authors, including the 2 doctors censured by the GMC along with Dr Wakefield. At the time The Lancet continued to insist that publication had not been a mistake because the journal existed to "raise new ideas". ~ Guardian, Jan 28; London Times, Feb 3