Watch Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe

Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe is a 2016 documentary that delves into the alleged cover-up that surrounds a link between vaccines and autism. Directed by Andrew Wakefield, a former British gastroenterologist who was discredited due to his controversial research on the subject, the documentary introduces us to several families who claim that vaccines have caused their children to develop autism. Throughout the film, Wakefield interviews various doctors, researchers, and vaccine experts, including Del Bigtree, one of the producers of the film and a former producer of the television show The Doctors. Bigtree sheds light on what he sees as a lack of transparency and accountability within the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to vaccine safety. Wakefield also speaks with Mark F. Blaxill, an autism advocate, and his daughter Michaela Blaxill, who herself has autism. The duo argues that the government and pharmaceutical companies are in cahoots to protect the vaccine industry. Vaxxed presents a controversial, and much-debated, link between vaccines and autism. Wakefield and the film’s interviewees argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allegedly covered up data that indicated a link between the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and autism rates among African American boys. The film claims that the CDC destroyed data showing a correlation between the MMR vaccine and autism in its 2004 study. The study found that there was no connection between the vaccine and autism; however, later allegations of a cover-up revealed that the scientists in charge of the study intentionally destroyed data that showed a correlation between the MMR vaccine and autism in African American boys. Despite Wakefield’s credentials and the spellbinding testimonies of the interviewees, Vaxxed’s premise and research are both highly questionable. After his original study, published in 1998 in the Lancet, which included twelve children, Wakefield was found to have acted unethically and inaccurately. Edits were made to his study following publication, and it was determined by eleven of his co-authors that he misrepresented or altered all twelve of his cases' medical histories. Wakefield's interpretation of the science in Vaxxed has likewise been criticised, with his conclusions based more on suspicion and association than on evidence. Another detractor of the film is William Thompson, one of the co-authors of the infamous 2004 MMR-autism study. In 2014, Thompson supposedly contacted the filmmakers anonymously, claiming that he and his colleagues knew that there was a connection between the vaccine and autism in African American boys but that they covered it up. However, once his identity was revealed, Thompson claimed that he was coerced or manipulated into making claims, and he has since disassociated himself from the film. On the other hand, many parents and advocates who believe in a vaccine-autism link point to the sharp rise in autism rates in recent decades as proof of a link, ignoring many other possible explanations for the rise in autism diagnosis rates. Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe offers a highly controversial perspective on the vaccine-autism link, making many serious allegations against the scientific community, and eliciting strong reactions both for and against its claims. It is a thought-provoking documentary that explores an issue at the heart of medical ethics, raising questions about transparency, informed consent, and trust in medical professionals. In conclusion, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe offers one side of a highly controversial topic, and its reliability has been called into question by many reputable sources. Nonetheless, it raises discussions about medical ethics and the way information is communicated to the public. Ultimately, the film will appeal most to those who already hold strong beliefs in the vaccine-autism link.