Skandal ini dianggap "penipuan medis paling merusak pada abad ke-20",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Flaherty |first=Dennis K. |date=2011-09-13 |title=The vaccine-autism connection: a public health crisis caused by unethical medical practices and fraudulent science |journal=The Annals of Pharmacotherapy |volume=45 |issue=10 |pages=1302–1304 |doi=10.1345/aph.1Q318 |issn=1542-6270 |pmid=21917556|s2cid=39479569 }}</ref> karena artikel ''The Lancet'' menyebabkan penurunan tajam dalam tingkat vaksinasi di Inggris dan Irlandia. Promosi klaim hubungan tersebut, yang terus berlanjut dalam propaganda anti-vaksin meskipun telah dibantah,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hussain |first1=Azhar |last2=Ali |first2=Syed |last3=Ahmed |first3=Madiha |last4=Hussain |first4=Sheharyar |title=The Anti-vaccination Movement: A Regression in Modern Medicine |journal=Cureus |volume=10 |issue=7 |pages=e2919 |doi=10.7759/cureus.2919 |issn=2168-8184 |pmc=6122668 |pmid=30186724|year=2018 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gross |first=Liza |date=2009-05-26 |title=A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine–Autism Wars |journal=PLOS Biology |volume=7 |issue=5 |pages=e1000114 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000114 |issn=1544-9173 |pmc=2682483 |pmid=19478850 |doi-access=free }}</ref> menyebabkan peningkatan insiden [[measles]] dan [[mumps]], yang mengakibatkan kematian dan cedera permanen serius.<ref name=McIntyre>{{cite journal |vauthors=McIntyre P, Leask J |title= Improving uptake of MMR vaccine |journal=The BMJ |volume=336 |issue=7647 |pages=729–30 |year=2008 |pmid=18309963 |pmc= 2287215 |doi=10.1136/bmj.39503.508484.80}}</ref><ref name=Pepys>{{cite journal |journal=Clinical Medicine |year=2007 |volume=7 |issue=6 |pages=562–78 |title= Science and serendipity |author= Pepys MB |pmid=18193704 |pmc=4954362 |doi=10.7861/clinmedicine.7-6-562}}</ref> Setelah klaim awal pada tahun 1998, beberapa studi epidemiologi besar dilakukan. Tinjauan bukti oleh [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]],[[American Academy of Pediatrics]], [[Institute of Medicine]] dari [[United States National Academy of Sciences|US National Academy of Sciences]],<ref name=IOM/> [[National Health Service]] Inggris,<ref name = MMRthefacts/> dan [[Cochrane Library]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Di Pietrantonj|first1=Carlo|last2=Rivetti|first2=Alessandro|last3=Marchione|first3=Pasquale|last4=Debalini|first4=Maria Grazia|last5=Demicheli|first5=Vittorio|date=20 April 2020|title=Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|volume=4|issue=4 |pages=CD004407|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub4|issn=1469-493X|pmc=7169657|pmid=32309885}}</ref> semuanya tidak menemukan hubungan antara vaksin MMR dan autisme.<ref name="Klaherty">{{cite journal |author=Flaherty DK |title=The vaccine-autism connection: a public health crisis caused by unethical medical practices and fraudulent science |journal=Annals of Pharmacotherapy |volume=45 |issue=10 |pages=1302–4 |date=October 2011 |pmid=21917556 |doi=10.1345/aph.1Q318|s2cid=39479569 }}</ref> Dokter, jurnal medis, dan editor{{refn|<ref name=BMJLiftsCurtain>{{cite web |url= http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Autism/24203 |title= BMJ Lifts Curtain on MMR-Autism Fraud |author= Gever, John |publisher= MedPage Today |date= 5 January 2011 |access-date= 2011-01-08 |archive-date= 14 May 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190514104731/https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/autism/24203 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=GodleeEditorial>{{cite journal |url= http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d22.full |title= The fraud behind the MMR scare |author= Godlee F |journal= The BMJ |date= January 2011 |pages= d22 |issue= jan06 1 |volume= 342 |doi= 10.1136/bmj.d22 |s2cid= 73020733 |access-date= 3 February 2019 |archive-date= 13 June 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190613213348/https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d22.full |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=BMJBlogDeer>{{cite web |url= http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2011/01/06/brian-deer-piltdown-medicine-the-missing-link-between-mmr-and-autism/ |title= Brian Deer: Piltdown medicine: The missing link between MMR and autism |date= 6 January 2011 |publisher= BMJ Group Blogs |author= Deer, Brian |access-date= 2011-01-08 |archive-date= 9 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110109074905/http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2011/01/06/brian-deer-piltdown-medicine-the-missing-link-between-mmr-and-autism/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=IBTimes>{{cite news |url= http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/98531/20110107/link-between-mmr-vaccines-and-autism-conclusively-broken.htm |title= Link between MMR Vaccines and Autism conclusively broken |newspaper= [[IB Times]] |date= 7 January 2011 |access-date= 2011-01-08 |archive-date= 6 April 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120406202837/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/98531/20110107/link-between-mmr-vaccines-and-autism-conclusively-broken.htm |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=WebMDBroyd>{{cite web |url= http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20110106/bmj-declares-vaccine-autism-study-fraud |title= BMJ Declares Vaccine-Autism Study 'an Elaborate Fraud', 1998 Lancet Study Not Bad Science but Deliberate Fraud, Claims Journal |author= Broyd, Nicky |publisher= [[WebMD]] Health News |date= 6 January 2011 |access-date= 2011-01-08 |archive-date= 31 March 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331191607/https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20110106/bmj-declares-vaccine-autism-study-fraud |url-status= live }}</ref>}} menggambarkan tindakan Wakefield sebagai penipuan dan mengaitkannya dengan epidemi dan kematian.<ref name=AgeOld>{{cite journal |vauthors=Poland GA, Jacobson RM |title= The Age-Old Struggle against the Antivaccinationists |journal= The New England Journal of Medicine |volume= 364 |issue= 2 |pages= 97–9 |date= 13 January 2011 |pmid= 21226573 |doi= 10.1056/NEJMp1010594|s2cid= 39229852 }}</ref><ref name=Jasek>{{cite news|author=Jasek, Marissa |url=http://www.wwaytv3.com/healthwatch-disputed-autism-study-sparks-debate-about-vaccines/01/2011 |title=Healthwatch: Disputed autism study sparks debate about vaccines |publisher=WWAY Newschannel 3 |date=6 January 2011 |access-date=2011-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724093057/http://www.wwaytv3.com/healthwatch-disputed-autism-study-sparks-debate</ref>
