Like Pig-Pen from Peanuts, a cloud of filth follows Andrew Wakefield wherever he goes.
Wakefield is the doctor whose medical license was revoked in the UK following his fraudulent "study" in which he linked the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to autism. He is essentially the Father of the Modern Anti-Vaccine Movement.
And he's been welcomed with open arms in Texas. According to a new report in Australian media, "the rate of Texan children exempted from at least one vaccine had surged by a staggering 1,900 per cent since Wakefield's arrival."
But that's not all! Wakefield is also promoting a variety of anti-vaccine groups... for a price, of course. In 2018, The Guardian wrote:
"Wakefield's most substantial contribution to Texas appears to be the network of autism-related charities and businesses he has been affiliated with, and in some instances drew six-figure salaries from, from the early 2000s onwards." [Emphasis added]
In other words, scaring parents away from vaccinating their children is a way for Wakefield to make himself filthy rich. Apparently not content with blood money, the disgraced doctor is now trying to get anti-vaccine politicians elected to the Texas legislature.
A New Anti-Vaxx Threat: Texans for Vaccine Choice
Wakefield has thrown his support behind Texans for Vaccine Choice, a group whose mission is to elect anti-vaccine candidates. The website has a report card for members of the Texas legislature. Candidates who support "vaccine choice" (which is a nice way of saying "anti-vaxxer") are given A's, while pro-vaccine candidates are given F's. Lovely.
Conveniently, the website also provides a how-to guide on getting a vaccine exemption. Even lovelier.
Does Wakefield Have a Conscience?
Last year, 82,000 Europeans contracted measles, 72 of whom died. In Madagascar, a measles outbreak that began in September 2018 has sickened 68,000 and killed more than 900. Measles outbreaks are also occurring across the United States.
Does Wakefield feel no shame? No guilt? No sense of responsibility?
At this point, I am beyond words. And, trust me, making me speechless is a difficult thing to accomplish.
