HOUSTON, TX – The Spudd recently sat down with Andrew Wakefield to discuss vaccines, science and to set the record straight.
The Spudd: Thank you for agreeing to this interview Mr. Wakefield.
AW: My pleasure. You guys are one of the leading health news sites on the web.
The Spudd: Yes we are. First off, we need to talk about your retracted Lancet study. What do you think went wrong?
AW: Went wrong? Nothing I did was wrong. The Lancet and Brian Deer are what went wrong. If they just would have left well enough alone and not done any investigating, none of this would have happened.
The Spudd: What about the claim that you falsified your data and broke ethical regulations?
AW: If changing data in order to get the conclusion you want is “falsifying”, then yes I guess I did. As for the ethical part, is it unethical to take blood from children at a birthday party? I don’t think so. It is no more unethical than having a magician tricking these poor children.
The Spudd: Well said. We would like to ask you about the “CDC Whistleblower”.
AW: I can’t say too much about it, since I am not sure who else may be recording this interview. But basically we (myself and Brian Hooker) recorded a researcher from the CDC without his knowledge as he talked to us about what he thought was some omitted data. Then I went ahead and released his name. Not sure what all the fuss is about.
The Spudd: Us either. All you are trying to do is help children and parents.
AW: Exactly. Also, I am not making as much money as I used to and recently had to rent out the east wing of my mansion. Again, if Brian Deer and others had just left well enough alone, I would have been able to bring my single-dose MMR vaccine to market and be much better off financially. I am convinced Brian Deer is in the pockets of Big Pharma.
The Spudd: Most pro-vaccine people are.
AW: (laughs) So very true.
The Spudd: If you could get one message out to parents questioning vaccines, what would it be?
AW: Don’t get them! (laughs). My best advice is to listen to people like me and other anti-vaccine advocates. Do your research. Google is your fiend. Search out information that is the opposite of what mainstream media and health organizations advocate for. There are so many great blogs and websites out there which are trying to get the truth out about the dangers of vaccines and the link between vaccines and autism, or any other disease or condition you are concerned about.
The Spudd: How can parents be sure what they are reading is accurate?
AW: Great question. The best way is to see if the website/anti-vaccer has an online store. If they do, they are legitimate.
The Spudd: Good advice. What are you plans for the future?
AW: Right now I am focusing on making paid appearances at anti-vaccine and autism conferences, fighting my seemingly never-ending string of court cases and am working on a new book.
The Spudd: Can you tell us a bit about your new book?
AW: There is not much to tell at this point. The book will be about my life, my trials – both clinical and with the law – and I’ll probably just make up something new about autism: some new cause, new cure, I really haven’t decided yet.
The Spudd: Sounds like a great read. Thank you so much for this interview Mr. Wakefield.
AW: You’re welcome. Oh, and it’s Dr. Wakefield.
The Spudd: Pretty sure it’s not.
AW: No it is.
The Spudd: Pretty sure it’s not.
AW: No seriously. I still have a license to practice medicine in…I forget which country…or state. But I do.
The Spudd: We still prefer to call you Mr.
(long pause)
AW: There, I just went online and bought a PhD.
The Spudd: Well played Dr. Wakefield.
AW: Thank you.
