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Published online 18 July 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news070716-6

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Misconduct hearing starts in Britain

Andrew Wakefield's status as doctor is under review.

Uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine plummeted in Britain after doctor and researcher Andrew Wakefield suggested in 1998 that it could be linked to autism — a suggestion that made huge waves in the media and with the public. Subsequent studies have ruled out a link between MMR and autism, and the majority of medical opinion now firmly rejects Wakefield's hypothesis.

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