Dr. Wakefields Research & Role Played by Media Essay

Dr. Wakefields Research & Role Played by Media - Essay Example Dr. Wakefield’s research employed rigorous tools and methodologies for which no proper ethical approval was obtained for invasive procedures on children. On the other hand, it was found that Dr. Wakefield had exchanged funds with the lawyers of children’s parents that were made part of the research. The research further employed references of other studies that were conducted by either the coauthors of the same research or his friends. Where autism is a disorder for which little information is present regarding its causative agents and cures, a theory supporting the idea that it is caused by MMR vaccination made many parents believe that prevention from vaccination can benefit their child despite having contradictory evidence in the rates of epidemiological increases after this research. The research was later on criticized by other independent studies which raised questions about the effectiveness of Dr. Wakefield’s work. Presence of a reputable medical journal The Lancet and other media bodies providing coverage to this research further aggravated the situation. A medical journal is usually used by medical practitioners, researchers, and educationists in the same field. However, vetting of Dr. Wakefield’s article by a medical journal allowed journalists and other media channels to disseminate information to local people. As a result, parents refused to provide vaccination to their children in large parts of the world with reported epidemics in the UK, US, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.