This week Australia was pronounced to be “measles-free”. A few days earlier, health figures from England and Wales showed that measles cases last year had risen to 1,348 cases – the highest level for 13 years, and up by more than a third on 2007.

Had there not been a doctor called Andrew Wakefield, apparently convinced of a link between measles and autism that no one else could find, and that was rebutted by every epidemiological study ever undertaken, would Britain not be enjoying a similar status as Australia?

Everything, it turns out, to do with Dr Wakefield's study and his claims, first published in The Lancet ten years ago, was wrong. His cases were not referred at random, nor – when their medical records were examined – did they show the proximity between the onset of symptoms and MMR vaccination that was suggested. Subsequently it was discovered through investigation - not volunteered by Dr Wakefield – that he had received hundreds of thousands of pounds in fees for acting as an expert witness for parents who believed their children had been harmed by the MMR jab. At every stage he has sought to intimidate critics with libel action, and to impress supporters with promises of the imminent definitive proof of his theories. No libel action has ever gone to trial and no proof (or, indeed, evidence) has been forthcoming.

One hopes he was sincere, as otherwise it is hard not to use the word “charlatan” in connection with the now well-heeled physician. But he could not have done it on his own. He needed The Lancet, and its Editor, Richard Horton, who published Dr Wakefield's paper and then for several years defended it. He needed some of the laziest health journalism that this country has seen. He needed that absurd mood of “my opinion is as good as that of the scientific community” that swept middle-class Britain, and was given voice by TV dramatists and know-nothing celebrities.

When they have finished with the bankers, MPs should inquire how Dr Wakefield did it, and how he still gets away with it.

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