JABS (short for Justice, Awareness and Basic Support) is a British pressure group launched in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

in January 1994. Beginning as a support group for the parents of children they claim became ill after the MMR vaccine (which they claim gave their children

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

, brain damage or autism – see:

MMR vaccine and autism Claims of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism have been extensively investigated and found to be false. The link was first suggested in the early 1990s and came to public notice largely as a result of the 1998 ''Lancet'' MMR autism frau ...

), the group is currently against all forms of vaccination.

Beginnings

The group began as a support group after Jackie Fletcher placed an

advert Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

in the newspaper to find parents whose children became ill after their first MMR vaccine after her child was diagnosed with

ten days after he received an MMR vaccination. According to a pro-JABS article published by '' Private Eye'', "30 families from a small community responded" originally, and by 2002 over two thousand families had been in contact.

Membership and organisation

JABS members are parents of children allegedly became ill after vaccination, particularly MMR, which they initially claimed to be a cause of brain damage and other medical issues, prior to claims that the MMR vaccine was a cause of autism and of inflammatory bowel disease. In 1996, 400 families has joined the group to seek compensation from the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

over alleged "vaccine damage". It was described in 2001 as the "main organisation" for parents who are "convinced of the link between the MMR vaccine and their child's subsequent development of autism". The group has also claimed that many cases of

shaken baby syndrome Shaken baby syndrome (SBS), also known as abusive head trauma (AHT), is the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children younger than two years. Diagnosing the syndrome has proved both challenging and contentious for medical professionals, ...

were caused by vaccines. It has been described as an

anti-vaccine Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...

or a "vaccine critical" group. Alongside the earlier U.S.-based

National Vaccine Information Center The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), founded under the name Dissatisfied Parents Together (DPT) in 1982, is an American 501(c) organization#501.28c.29.283.29, 501(c)(3) organization that has been widely criticized as a leading sourc ...

, it has been described as "instrumental" in "misinforming the public, misdirecting health resources, engendering spurious controversy, and facilitating declining vaccination rates to levels below those needed for '

herd immunity Herd immunity (also called herd effect, community immunity, population immunity, or mass immunity) is a form of indirect protection that applies only to contagious diseases. It occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become im ...

' in some regions by way of their emotional pleas". JABS founder Jackie Fletcher says the group is not anti-vaccine, but seeks greater information and compensation for alleged vaccine side-effects. The group currently has a

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page and operates an online message board, JABSforum.

Richard Barr and Andrew Wakefield

A solicitor for the group, Richard Barr, began acting for JABS shortly after its formation. He applied for legal aid to fund clinical studies into associations between the vaccine and the alleged side-effects claimed by JABS. He formed a partnership with

Andrew Wakefield Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born September 3, 1956) is a British anti-vaccine activist, former physician, and discredited academic who was struck off the medical register for his involvement in ''The Lancet'' MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that ...

in 1996, who was paid £150 per hour by the law firm. The pair were awarded £55,000 by the Legal Aid Board to start their research. JABS referred children to Wakefield, and Wakefield admitted several children of JABS parents to the Royal Free Hospital for tests in 1996. Barr also paid a substantial sum to then-doctor Wakefield two years before his now-retracted 1998 ''Lancet'' report, urging Wakefield to discredit the MMR vaccine.

Brian Deer Brian Deer is a British investigative reporter, best known for inquiries into the drug industry, medicine and social issues for ''The Sunday Times''. Deer's investigative nonfiction book, ''The Doctor Who Fooled the World,'' was published in Se ...

has described this partnership as "the foundation of the vaccine crisis, both in Britain and throughout the world".

References

{{reflist Anti-vaccination organizations Autism pseudoscience MMR vaccine and autism Organizations established in 1994