The oxygen of publicity

The summer months when things are quiet in news terms are dubbed the "silly season" in the UK media, when the national press traditionally trots out a selection of quirky stories that otherwise wouldn't get a mention together with the perennial "pot-boilers" that are always good for a few sensational headlines to boost sales among the more gullible members of the public.

Unfortunately, the silly season this year is coinciding with the appearance of Dr Andrew Wakefield and two colleagues before the General Medical Council (GMC) in London on charges of professional misconduct in respect of his now thoroughly discredited research into a purported link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism and Crohn's disease.

With the hearing set to last more than three months, the national media has been quick off the mark to exploit the opportunity to rehash the old - disproven - arguments. Alongside pictures of vociferous parents outside the GMC parading placards bearing a range of inflammatory slogans, "New fears over MMR link to autism" declares the Telegraph; "Questions over triple jab for children", claims The Observer - despite the fact that absolutely nothing new has emerged in support of a link between MMR and autism and a mounting pile of evidence refuting the proposition.

The embers of this controversy that were slowly being extinguished have now been fanned back into life with the oxygen of publicity.

The allegations against Dr Wakefield and his colleagues are shocking and represent a "breach of some of the most fundamental rules in medicine", according to Sally Smith QC, for the GMC.

Vulnerable children were subjected to invasive and inappropriate tests by a doctor who was not paediatrically qualified and had not worked as a clinical doctor for several years, the GMC alleges.

Whatever the verdict at the end of the case, it is unlikely to be the details of the allegations that remain in the minds of the public. And even if the media stress that there is no evidence of a link between MMR and autism, the mere mention of the theory will be enough to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of parents.

Repeating something often enough does not make it true, but it can be enough to influence those who are willing to be convinced.