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Cautionary Tales · September 15, 2021 · 40m
The Vaccine Scare That Changed History
Cautionary Tales
The 1998 MMR vaccine scare — when Andrew Wakefield published a fraudulent study linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Harford traces how a single discredited paper caused a global decline in vaccination that killed thousands of children.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Wakefield's paper was retracted, his license revoked, and his data shown to be fabricated. But the fear he created persists 25+ years later because emotional narratives outrun scientific corrections.
Highlights
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A single fraudulent paper killed thousands of children — the asymmetry between creating fear and restoring confidence
Harford calculates the human cost: measles outbreaks in the UK, US, and Europe directly attributable to declining vaccination rates caused by the Wakefield scare killed hundreds and disabled thousands of children.Was this useful?