Andrew Wakefield Film

About Andrew Wakefield Film

Andrew Wakefield directed Vaxxed From Cover Up to Catastrophe, a film claiming the CDC covered up data linking MMR to autism in African American children. The film was withdrawn from the Tribeca Film Festival after scientific criticism but screened elsewhere. Robert De Niro, who has an autistic child, initially supported the film but withdrew his endorsement. The film was widely promoted by anti vaccine groups. Wakefield moved to Texas and became a celebrity in the anti vaccine movement. Vaxxed was shown at screenings across America, often to low income and minority communities. Anti vaccine activism, including visits by Wakefield, contributed to declining MMR vaccination among Somali Americans in Minnesota, where a measles outbreak occurred in 2017. The case illustrates how discredited science can be repackaged to spread misinformation.