The doctor who first suggested there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been discredited by the General Medical Council for acting dishonestly in his research. After Dr Andrew Wakefield's controversial 1998 study was published in the journal The Lancet, vaccination rates plummeted and measles cases rose. At a GMC hearing Dr Wakefield was criticised for carrying out invasive tests on children that were against their best clinical interests and for gathering blood samples from children at his own son's birthday party. The GMC will now consider whether to strike Dr Wakefield and his colleagues off the medical register. A ruling is not expected for some months.
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