Univ. of Louisiana Professor Continues to Claim That Vaccines Cause Autism

Why would anyone want to associate themselves with Andrew Wakefield?

Wakefield is the notorious physician who, in a 1998 paper published in the medical journal Lancet, promoted the idea that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. But since then, he and his work have been thoroughly discredited. Last year, he was found guilty of professional misconduct, Lancet retracted his paper and his medical license was revoked. Just this month, investigative journalist Brian Deer published a three-part series in the British Medical Journal, revealing that Wakefield had conducted an "elaborate fraud." In addition to fabricating data, his own financial gains were behind the hoax -- he was paid by a law firm that was suing the maker of the MMR vaccine, and Wakefield was hoping to introduce his own measles vaccine after he had discredited the other.

But some people are still ardently defending Wakefield and his shoddy science. And this includes a professor at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (ULL).

John W. Oller, Jr. holds a tenured position in the Department of Communicative Disorders at the ULL. A creationist, he has fought to keep evolution out of science textbooks. Perhaps even more troubling, given his position and departmental affiliation, he rigorously defends the autism-vaccine link. In his 2010 book, The Autism Epidemic and Related Issues, he even has Wakefield write the foreword.

Normally a forward is written by someone who will help lend credibility to the work. Wakefield is hardly that person. It seems that any professional, especially an academic, would not want to cite him as an authority, but Oller still believes he is a "world-renowned gastroenterologist and medical researcher."

Oller's blog, linked to from his university website, propagates more pseudoscience. This includes rebuking the fact that vaccines have virtually eradicated smallpox and polio. As noted by the Louisiana Coalition for Science, in a December 31, 2010 blog post Oller alleged that "the great success of the smallpox vaccine is a myth ... vaccines, e.g., smallpox and polio . . . actually increased the risk of smallpox and polio along with other infectious diseases." A few days later, after the BMJ article about Wakefield's fraudulent science came out, Oller retracted some of these statements.

The scientific community has overwhelming concluded that vaccines do not cause autism, but Oller, who does not have a background in immunology, epidemiology or toxicology, continues to push an agenda  based on false premises and conspiracy theories. Perhaps most troubling is that Oller uses his University of Louisiana-Lafayette website to promote his books, praise Wakefield and link to his anti-science blog.

By promoting this dangerous idea, Oller is threatening the credibility of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and its Department of Communications.  As Oller writes on his blog, "It's all about the research, the research, the research, and did I mention the research?" But clearly, he doesn't quite grasp how research and accurate conclusions are drawn. And because of his position, he threatens student education by passing off his conspiracy theories as actual "research."

No credible academic institution should support a theory that is so widely discredited, especially one that has already resulted in the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases and deaths. Tell University of Louisiana and the Department of Communications to publicly denounce Oller’s statements about vaccines and autism and to ensure that he doesn’t spread his ideas to students.

Photo credit: Andres Rueda