Tortoise Investigates: Dr Anti Vax

Tortoise Investigates: Dr Anti Vax - How did the anti-vax movement go from the fringes of public life to something so mainstream, with the conspiracy even reaching the heart of the US political system? This new series brought to you from the same team behind podcast Sweet Bobby, charts its history. 

In particular, it looks at the actions of the now discredited academic and physician Andrew Wakefield who, in the late nineties, falsely claimed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Wakefield was subsequently struck off the medical register, but the damage had been done, with uptake of the vaccine dropping 10% in just five years in the UK, and fanning the flames of hesitancy in the US.

The first two episodes are available to listen to now, with more episodes available if you sign up to Tortoise on Apple Podcasts.