Setup

In 1988, the British government launched the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, even though central figures knew that the vaccine could cause brain damage, autism, and other problems. The Setup traces the extended efforts made by drug companies, with help from the British government, to cover up their responsibility for putting a vaccine known to be damaging on the market. It details the way public relations companies, social media, legal teams, judges, and reporters all utilized covert media tactics and public statements to deceive, ultimately leading to the British General Medical Council (GMC) initiating the famous trial against Andrew Wakefield, Professor Walker-Smith, and Dr. Simon Murch. The vaccine was on the market for over four years, but the parents of the nearly 1,600 affected were not only excluded from that trial but are still awaiting their day in court. Instead, they have all had to shoulder an immense financial burden and many have become the subject of court actions over spurious charges. The trial also destroyed Wakefield’s reputation—despite the fact that within months, a high court judge declared Walker-Smith innocent on the grounds that the GMC panel, acting as jury, had misunderstood the evidence. Any parent whose child has become sick after a vaccine will appreciate the dedication of investigator Martin J. Walker, and his exposure of a cover-up the British government and pharmaceutical companies hoped to hide forever.