Good Morning Britain condemned for spreading anti-vaccination myths with 'offensive' canine autism debate
'Even more than the harm this does to public health, the comparison between autistic people and poorly-trained pet dogs is immensely insulting and hurtful'
- Alex Matthews-King Health Correspondent
-
Wednesday 25 April 2018 19:21 -
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The Independent
The Independent
Breakfast show Good Morning Britain (GMB) has been accused of putting children and pets at risk after it emerged that it was planning to air a segment on whether animal vaccines can cause “canine autism”.
A tweeted request from the show said it was intending to run a debate on the issue of pet vaccination.
It said they were looking to speak with an owner who had not inoculated their pets "because they're concerned about side effects", as well as "people who have done so and now believe their pet has canine autism as a result."
The National Autistic Society (NAS) said it had contacted the show directly with its concerns about such a high profile platform for claims that there a link between vaccines and autism, which have been completely discredited in humans.
“There is no link between autism and vaccines. Despite research proving this comprehensively, damaging myths about autism persist in some circles – and must be challenged," added Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the NAS.
"We were very disappointed to hear that a mainstream broadcaster would consider bringing autism into a story about vaccinations in this way".
Autism is a developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people and how they interact with the world around them, and affects around 700,000 people in the UK.
"As an autistic individual I was deeply offended," said Alexandra Forshaw, 44, who works as a software developer and is a board member Autistic Inclusive Meets. “In a single tweet they managed to perpetuate the myth of a link between autism and vaccination, and the myth that autism is something that can be contracted.
"But even more than the harm this does to public health, the comparison between autistic people and poorly-trained pet dogs is immensely insulting and hurtful."
UK news in pictures
Show all 51
UK news in pictures
1/51
Royal Navy Commander, Nathan Gray lands his F-35B onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time.
Two F-35B Lightning II fighter jets have successfully landed onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time, laying the foundations for the next 50 years of fixed wing aviation in support of the UK’s Carrier Strike Capability.
Royal Navy Commander, Nathan Gray, 41, made history by being the first to land on, carefully manoeuvring his stealth jet onto the thermal coated deck. He was followed by Squadron Leader Andy Edgell, RAF, both of whom are test pilots, operating with the Integrated Test Force (ITF) based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
Shortly afterwards, once a deck inspection has been conducted and the all-clear given, Cdr Gray became the first pilot to take off using the ship’s ski-ramp.
© Crown copyright 2013
2/51 28 September 2018
Headteachers from across England and Wales hold signs in Parliament Square, London, as they prepare to march on Downing Street to demand extra money for schools
PA
3/51 27 September 2018
Former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson (C) arrives at the Old Bailey Courthouse in London, Britain, 27 September 2018. The far right figurehead whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon faces a rehearing after winning an appeal against a contempt of court finding last month.
EPA
4/51 26 September 2018
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool
EPA
5/51 25 September 2018
Derby County manager leads the celebrations with players in front of their fans after winning a penalty shootout against Manchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Lampard faced his old manager as a player, Jose Mourinho, for the first time in his managerial career
Action Images via Reuters
6/51 24 September 2018
The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt arriving in Downing Street, in London, for a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May
AFP/Getty
7/51 23 September 2018
Campaigners take part in a 'People's Vote' March in central Liverpool to call for members of the public to be given a vote on the final negotiations of the UK's exit from the European Union and coincides with the annual Labour Party Conference
EPA
8/51 22 September 2018
US telecommunications company Comcast has won the bid for Sky. Already owning 39% of shares in Sky, Rupert Murdoch's Fox was looking to take full control, but has been outbid by Comcast at £30 billion
PA
9/51 21 September 2018
The Prime Minister responded with ire to the EU's rejection of her Chequers deal, stating that it is "unacceptable" at this stage for them to reject a deal outright without offering an alternative, and that the UK expects to be treated with respect
Reuters
10/51 20 September 2018
Chris Evans’ wife Natasha Shishmanian has given birth to twins, a boy and girl affectionately nicknamed “Ping and Pong” throughout the pregnancy
Getty
11/51 19 September 2018
Storm Ali hit the British Isles bringing winds of up to 100mph. A woman in the Republic of Ireland was killed when her caravan was blown off of a cliff and a man in Northern Ireland was killed by a falling tree. Pictured is a bus that was carrying students of Dundee University that was hit by a falling tree in Fife
PA
12/51 18 September 2018
Car manufacturer BMW announced that its Mini factory in the UK would close for its annual summer maintenance several weeks earlier than planned, starting on April 1, 2019, to avoid any disruption in case of a no-deal Brexit
AFP/Getty
13/51 17 September 2018
"It's either my deal or no deal", the Prime Minister has said to the BBC's Nick Robinson in an interview on Panorama. Mrs May also claims to be irritated by the constant speculation over her leadership, stating "this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom."
BBC/Jeff Overs
14/51 16 September 2018
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced his support for a second Brexit referendum. In The Observer, the mayor writes: “After careful consideration, I’ve decided the people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal or a vote on a no deal, alongside the option of staying in the EU"
BBC/PA
15/51 15 September 2018
The Liberal Democrats party conference began in Brighton. In his conference speech, leader Vince Cable is expected to elaborate on his plans for a "Movement for Moderates"
PA
16/51 14 September 2018
An early Banksy mural has been accidentally painted over during renovations. The mural has been on the shop front on Park Row in the artist's hometown of Bristol since the 1990s
PA
17/51 13 September 2018
Suspects in the Skripal poisoning case Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov today claimed in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT that they were visiting Salisbury as tourists. Stating "It’s famous for its 123-meter spire. It’s famous for its clock. It’s one of the oldest working clocks in the world."
Getty
18/51 12 September 2018
Tottenham Hotspur and French National goalkeeper Hugo Lloris leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to drink driving. The footballer is accused of being over twice the legal alcohol limit when he was stopped by police on August 24
Getty
19/51 11 September 2018
David Suchet recites from Amadeus during a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life and work of Sir Peter Hall, the former director of the National Theatre, at Westminster Abbey in London
PA
20/51 10 September 2018
Alastair Cook celebrates his century in his last ever innings playing for England during the fourth day of the fifth test cricket match against India at The Oval. He announced his retirement before the fifth test match began, ending his illustrious 12-year test career
AFP/Getty
21/51 9 September 2018
Sir Mo Farah winning the The Great North Run's elite men's race, claiming a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory. He completed the race in under an hour
Getty/Nike
22/51 8 September 2018
Britain's former foreign secretary Boris Johnson sits in the stands during play on the second day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London
AFP/Getty
23/51 7 September 2018
The poppy sculpture Wave by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper at IWM North, The Quays, Manchester. This is the final presentation of Wave as part of a four year UK-wide tour, and the sculpture will be on site until 25 November
PA
24/51 6 September 2018
The aftermath of a house fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, where a woman died in Centurion Square, south-east London.
PA
25/51 5 September 2018
Counter-terrorism police have released images of the two suspects in connection with the Salisbury attack in March. The suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, are Russian nationals, and approximately 40 years old. They travelled on a Russian passport and it is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names. The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal
Metropolitan Police
26/51 4 September 2018
Pro Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, protesters demonstrate outside the Labour party headquarters in London. Labour's NEC (National Executive Committee) is expected to approve the international definition of anti-Semitism into Labour's code of conduct
EPA
27/51 3 September 2018
Chris Evans surrounded by media as he leaves the Radio 2 studio in London after he announced he is quitting his breakfast show which he has presented since 2010
PA
28/51 2 September 2018
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaks during the 'Jewish Labour Movement Conference'
Getty
29/51 1 September 2018
An inflatable caricature balloon of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan floats, near Parliament Square in London. Organizer Yanny Bruere raised more than 58,000 pounds ($75,000) through the Crowdfunder website for the 29-foot (8.8-meter) blimp as part of a campaign to oust Khan from his post. Khan angered some people in the British capital and elsewhere last month when he allowed a balloon caricaturing Donald Trump as an angry baby to float above the city while the U.S. president was in England.
AP
30/51 31 August 2018
A can of Coca-Cola next to a cup of Costa coffee, as Whitbread has struck a deal to sell the Costa Coffee chain to Coca-Cola for £3.9 billion
PA
31/51 30 August 2018
Frank Field MP in Westminster, London, after resigning from the Labour party over the anti-Semitism crisis. Field, who has represented Birkenhead from almost 40 years, revealed in a letter to party chief whip Nick Brown that he could no longer serve the party as the leadership was overseeing the "erosion of our core values"
PA
32/51 29 August 2018
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meeting 'King George' and the cast at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London after attending a gala performance of the musical Hamilton, in support of Sentebale. The evening raises awareness and funds for Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa
Dan Charity/The Sun/PA
33/51 28 August 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May meets students and staff at I.D. Mkize Secondary School in Cape Town, which is twinned with Whitby High School in Yorkshire. The two schools are part of a British Council funded teacher exchange scheme called 'Connected Classrooms'. The prime minister is on day one of her trip to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya on a trade mission designed to bolster the UK's post-Brexit fortunes
PA
34/51 27 August 2018
Performers take part in the main Parade day of Notting Hill Carnival in London. Nearly one million people are expected by the organizers over Sunday and Monday in the streets of west London to celebrate Caribbean culture, which is considered the largest street demonstration in Europe
AFP/Getty
35/51 26 August 2018
The crowd pauses for 72 seconds silence in remembrance of all those lost in the Grenfell Tower fire at the Red Bull Music Academy Sound System at Notting Hill
Getty
36/51 25 August 2018
Comedian Rose Matafeo is congratulated by Steve Coogan after winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Dovecote Studio
PA
37/51 24 August 2018
British Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, attends a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding between British and Chinese firms and institutions at the British ambassador's residence in Beijing
AP
38/51 23 August 2018
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran. She has been allowed to leave an Iranian prison for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family
Free Nazanin Campaign/AP
39/51 22 August 2018
Anti Brexit activists protest as they deliver a pile of medical supplies in cardboard boxes to the Department of Health and Social Care in London. Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) Pro EU campaign group wants get its message to the public surrounding the predicted costs of Britain's "No Deal Hard Brexit", exit from the European Union
AP
40/51 21 August 2018
Families enjoy rides on the dodgems during an Eid in the Park celebration marking Eid Al-Adha at the New River Sports ground in Wood Green, London. The traditional four-day celebratory festival marks one of the holiest days in the Islamic religious calendar
Getty
41/51 20 August 2018
Jeremy Corbyn campaigns on Labour's 'Build it in Britain' policy at Alexander Dennis bus manufacturers in Falkirk,Scotland. The Labour leader will spend the next four days in Scotland in an attempt to revitalize the party there
Getty
42/51 19 August 2018
Manchester United women's side walk out alongside Liverpool ahead of their first professional game since 2005. United disbanded their senior women's team thirteen years ago and returned with a win, beating Liverpool in their Continental Tyres Cup match clash at Prenton Park
PA
43/51 18 August 2018
Great Britain's Reece Prescod, finishes second, to USA's Christian Coleman, centre, in a photo finish after they both ran 9.94. With USA's Noah Lyles, left, finishing third in the men's 100m final during the Muller Grand Prix at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
PA
44/51 17 August 2018
Paul Elliott, right, carries the coffin of his brother Barry, 73, at the New York Stadium, Rotherham, for his funeral following his death on Sunday August 5. The veteran entertainer was one half of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers with Paul
PA
45/51 16 August 2018
Students react as they receive their 'A' level results at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London. Universities accepted thousands fewer students as pass rates hit lowest level since 2010
Reuters
46/51 15 August 2018
People gather on Market Street, Omagh, for the ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. The worst single atrocity of the Northern Ireland conflict killed 29, including a woman pregnant with twins
PA
47/51 14 August 2018
Police arrest a man after he crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament
Sky News
48/51 13 August 2018
Communities Secretary James Brokenshire today launched a £100 million pound government fund to end rough sleeping in England within the next decade. Brokenshire is pictured here at the central London headquarters for homelessness charity the Passage, where he launched the scheme
PA
49/51 12 August 2018
Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting at Claremont Road in the Moss Side neighborhood of Manchester, Ten people were taken to hospital on August 12, 2018 after shots were fired in Manchester in northern England, police said.
AFP/Getty
50/51 11 August 2018
Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith reacts after she won gold in the women's 200m final at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, completing the sprint double after she won the 100m just days before
Getty/European Athletics
51/51 10 August 2018
Pedestrians walk past the entrance of the retail store House of Fraser in central London. The Chinese-owned UK department store chain, entered administration on August 10 only to be swiftly snapped up by retailer Sports Direct for £90 million ($115 million, 100 million euros)
AFP
1/51
Royal Navy Commander, Nathan Gray lands his F-35B onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time.
Two F-35B Lightning II fighter jets have successfully landed onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time, laying the foundations for the next 50 years of fixed wing aviation in support of the UK’s Carrier Strike Capability.
Royal Navy Commander, Nathan Gray, 41, made history by being the first to land on, carefully manoeuvring his stealth jet onto the thermal coated deck. He was followed by Squadron Leader Andy Edgell, RAF, both of whom are test pilots, operating with the Integrated Test Force (ITF) based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
Shortly afterwards, once a deck inspection has been conducted and the all-clear given, Cdr Gray became the first pilot to take off using the ship’s ski-ramp.
© Crown copyright 2013
2/51 28 September 2018
Headteachers from across England and Wales hold signs in Parliament Square, London, as they prepare to march on Downing Street to demand extra money for schools
PA
3/51 27 September 2018
Former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson (C) arrives at the Old Bailey Courthouse in London, Britain, 27 September 2018. The far right figurehead whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon faces a rehearing after winning an appeal against a contempt of court finding last month.
EPA
4/51 26 September 2018
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool
EPA
5/51 25 September 2018
Derby County manager leads the celebrations with players in front of their fans after winning a penalty shootout against Manchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Lampard faced his old manager as a player, Jose Mourinho, for the first time in his managerial career
Action Images via Reuters
6/51 24 September 2018
The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt arriving in Downing Street, in London, for a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May
AFP/Getty
7/51 23 September 2018
Campaigners take part in a 'People's Vote' March in central Liverpool to call for members of the public to be given a vote on the final negotiations of the UK's exit from the European Union and coincides with the annual Labour Party Conference
EPA
8/51 22 September 2018
US telecommunications company Comcast has won the bid for Sky. Already owning 39% of shares in Sky, Rupert Murdoch's Fox was looking to take full control, but has been outbid by Comcast at £30 billion
PA
9/51 21 September 2018
The Prime Minister responded with ire to the EU's rejection of her Chequers deal, stating that it is "unacceptable" at this stage for them to reject a deal outright without offering an alternative, and that the UK expects to be treated with respect
Reuters
10/51 20 September 2018
Chris Evans’ wife Natasha Shishmanian has given birth to twins, a boy and girl affectionately nicknamed “Ping and Pong” throughout the pregnancy
Getty
11/51 19 September 2018
Storm Ali hit the British Isles bringing winds of up to 100mph. A woman in the Republic of Ireland was killed when her caravan was blown off of a cliff and a man in Northern Ireland was killed by a falling tree. Pictured is a bus that was carrying students of Dundee University that was hit by a falling tree in Fife
PA
12/51 18 September 2018
Car manufacturer BMW announced that its Mini factory in the UK would close for its annual summer maintenance several weeks earlier than planned, starting on April 1, 2019, to avoid any disruption in case of a no-deal Brexit
AFP/Getty
13/51 17 September 2018
"It's either my deal or no deal", the Prime Minister has said to the BBC's Nick Robinson in an interview on Panorama. Mrs May also claims to be irritated by the constant speculation over her leadership, stating "this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom."
BBC/Jeff Overs
14/51 16 September 2018
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced his support for a second Brexit referendum. In The Observer, the mayor writes: “After careful consideration, I’ve decided the people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal or a vote on a no deal, alongside the option of staying in the EU"
BBC/PA
15/51 15 September 2018
The Liberal Democrats party conference began in Brighton. In his conference speech, leader Vince Cable is expected to elaborate on his plans for a "Movement for Moderates"
PA
16/51 14 September 2018
An early Banksy mural has been accidentally painted over during renovations. The mural has been on the shop front on Park Row in the artist's hometown of Bristol since the 1990s
PA
17/51 13 September 2018
Suspects in the Skripal poisoning case Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov today claimed in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT that they were visiting Salisbury as tourists. Stating "It’s famous for its 123-meter spire. It’s famous for its clock. It’s one of the oldest working clocks in the world."
Getty
18/51 12 September 2018
Tottenham Hotspur and French National goalkeeper Hugo Lloris leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to drink driving. The footballer is accused of being over twice the legal alcohol limit when he was stopped by police on August 24
Getty
19/51 11 September 2018
David Suchet recites from Amadeus during a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life and work of Sir Peter Hall, the former director of the National Theatre, at Westminster Abbey in London
PA
20/51 10 September 2018
Alastair Cook celebrates his century in his last ever innings playing for England during the fourth day of the fifth test cricket match against India at The Oval. He announced his retirement before the fifth test match began, ending his illustrious 12-year test career
AFP/Getty
21/51 9 September 2018
Sir Mo Farah winning the The Great North Run's elite men's race, claiming a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory. He completed the race in under an hour
Getty/Nike
22/51 8 September 2018
Britain's former foreign secretary Boris Johnson sits in the stands during play on the second day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London
AFP/Getty
23/51 7 September 2018
The poppy sculpture Wave by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper at IWM North, The Quays, Manchester. This is the final presentation of Wave as part of a four year UK-wide tour, and the sculpture will be on site until 25 November
PA
24/51 6 September 2018
The aftermath of a house fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, where a woman died in Centurion Square, south-east London.
PA
25/51 5 September 2018
Counter-terrorism police have released images of the two suspects in connection with the Salisbury attack in March. The suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, are Russian nationals, and approximately 40 years old. They travelled on a Russian passport and it is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names. The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal
Metropolitan Police
26/51 4 September 2018
Pro Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, protesters demonstrate outside the Labour party headquarters in London. Labour's NEC (National Executive Committee) is expected to approve the international definition of anti-Semitism into Labour's code of conduct
EPA
27/51 3 September 2018
Chris Evans surrounded by media as he leaves the Radio 2 studio in London after he announced he is quitting his breakfast show which he has presented since 2010
PA
28/51 2 September 2018
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaks during the 'Jewish Labour Movement Conference'
Getty
29/51 1 September 2018
An inflatable caricature balloon of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan floats, near Parliament Square in London. Organizer Yanny Bruere raised more than 58,000 pounds ($75,000) through the Crowdfunder website for the 29-foot (8.8-meter) blimp as part of a campaign to oust Khan from his post. Khan angered some people in the British capital and elsewhere last month when he allowed a balloon caricaturing Donald Trump as an angry baby to float above the city while the U.S. president was in England.
AP
30/51 31 August 2018
A can of Coca-Cola next to a cup of Costa coffee, as Whitbread has struck a deal to sell the Costa Coffee chain to Coca-Cola for £3.9 billion
PA
31/51 30 August 2018
Frank Field MP in Westminster, London, after resigning from the Labour party over the anti-Semitism crisis. Field, who has represented Birkenhead from almost 40 years, revealed in a letter to party chief whip Nick Brown that he could no longer serve the party as the leadership was overseeing the "erosion of our core values"
PA
32/51 29 August 2018
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meeting 'King George' and the cast at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London after attending a gala performance of the musical Hamilton, in support of Sentebale. The evening raises awareness and funds for Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa
Dan Charity/The Sun/PA
33/51 28 August 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May meets students and staff at I.D. Mkize Secondary School in Cape Town, which is twinned with Whitby High School in Yorkshire. The two schools are part of a British Council funded teacher exchange scheme called 'Connected Classrooms'. The prime minister is on day one of her trip to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya on a trade mission designed to bolster the UK's post-Brexit fortunes
PA
34/51 27 August 2018
Performers take part in the main Parade day of Notting Hill Carnival in London. Nearly one million people are expected by the organizers over Sunday and Monday in the streets of west London to celebrate Caribbean culture, which is considered the largest street demonstration in Europe
AFP/Getty
35/51 26 August 2018
The crowd pauses for 72 seconds silence in remembrance of all those lost in the Grenfell Tower fire at the Red Bull Music Academy Sound System at Notting Hill
Getty
36/51 25 August 2018
Comedian Rose Matafeo is congratulated by Steve Coogan after winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Dovecote Studio
PA
37/51 24 August 2018
British Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, attends a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding between British and Chinese firms and institutions at the British ambassador's residence in Beijing
AP
38/51 23 August 2018
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran. She has been allowed to leave an Iranian prison for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family
Free Nazanin Campaign/AP
39/51 22 August 2018
Anti Brexit activists protest as they deliver a pile of medical supplies in cardboard boxes to the Department of Health and Social Care in London. Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) Pro EU campaign group wants get its message to the public surrounding the predicted costs of Britain's "No Deal Hard Brexit", exit from the European Union
AP
40/51 21 August 2018
Families enjoy rides on the dodgems during an Eid in the Park celebration marking Eid Al-Adha at the New River Sports ground in Wood Green, London. The traditional four-day celebratory festival marks one of the holiest days in the Islamic religious calendar
Getty
41/51 20 August 2018
Jeremy Corbyn campaigns on Labour's 'Build it in Britain' policy at Alexander Dennis bus manufacturers in Falkirk,Scotland. The Labour leader will spend the next four days in Scotland in an attempt to revitalize the party there
Getty
42/51 19 August 2018
Manchester United women's side walk out alongside Liverpool ahead of their first professional game since 2005. United disbanded their senior women's team thirteen years ago and returned with a win, beating Liverpool in their Continental Tyres Cup match clash at Prenton Park
PA
43/51 18 August 2018
Great Britain's Reece Prescod, finishes second, to USA's Christian Coleman, centre, in a photo finish after they both ran 9.94. With USA's Noah Lyles, left, finishing third in the men's 100m final during the Muller Grand Prix at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
PA
44/51 17 August 2018
Paul Elliott, right, carries the coffin of his brother Barry, 73, at the New York Stadium, Rotherham, for his funeral following his death on Sunday August 5. The veteran entertainer was one half of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers with Paul
PA
45/51 16 August 2018
Students react as they receive their 'A' level results at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form in London. Universities accepted thousands fewer students as pass rates hit lowest level since 2010
Reuters
46/51 15 August 2018
People gather on Market Street, Omagh, for the ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. The worst single atrocity of the Northern Ireland conflict killed 29, including a woman pregnant with twins
PA
47/51 14 August 2018
Police arrest a man after he crashed a car into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament
Sky News
48/51 13 August 2018
Communities Secretary James Brokenshire today launched a £100 million pound government fund to end rough sleeping in England within the next decade. Brokenshire is pictured here at the central London headquarters for homelessness charity the Passage, where he launched the scheme
PA
49/51 12 August 2018
Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting at Claremont Road in the Moss Side neighborhood of Manchester, Ten people were taken to hospital on August 12, 2018 after shots were fired in Manchester in northern England, police said.
AFP/Getty
50/51 11 August 2018
Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith reacts after she won gold in the women's 200m final at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, completing the sprint double after she won the 100m just days before
Getty/European Athletics
51/51 10 August 2018
Pedestrians walk past the entrance of the retail store House of Fraser in central London. The Chinese-owned UK department store chain, entered administration on August 10 only to be swiftly snapped up by retailer Sports Direct for £90 million ($115 million, 100 million euros)
AFP
She said this was particularly hurtful coming in April, which autism awareness month.
The scaremongering of the anti-vaccination movement has been responsible for a resurgence of preventable and potentially fatal diseases like measles, which is highly contagious.
Outbreaks from Europe which are affecting thousands of people across Germany and Romania have been brought to the UK and taken root in unvaccinated communities infecting more than a hundred people.
The British Veterinary Association said it was aware of a growing community of anti-vaccination pet owners in the US, "who have voiced concerns that vaccinations may lead to their dogs developing autism-like behaviour".
“But there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest autism in dogs or a link between vaccination and autism,” said BVA senior vice president Gudrun Ravetz.
“We know from the example of the MMR vaccine and its now disproven link to autism in children that scaremongering can lead to a loss of public confidence in vaccination and knee-jerk reactions that can lead to outbreaks of disease,”
Adding that stoking fears in pet owners could have similarly serious results for their animals and spread killer conditions like canine distemper and the parovirus which have been significantly reduced and controlled by vaccines.
The modern anti-vaccination movement was birthed by the discredited former doctor Andrew Wakefield who claimed in a 1998 study - since withdrawn by the Lancet medical journal - that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) combined vaccination was causing autism.
Wakefield was struck off after journalists exposed the fact that many of the patients in his study were litigants in a claim against the vaccine manufacturers, and funded by the group representing their case.
UK vaccination rates are just now beginning to return to their pre-1998 levels, but Wakefield has relaunched himself in America, fronting documentaries on the subject and spawning an international “anti-vaccination” community spreading information online.
A GMB spokesperson said: 'Good Morning Britain features daily debates around a variety of news stories and current affairs. On Friday's programme there will be a debate about pet vaccinations in relation to recent figures showing a decline in the number of animals being vaccinated. The item will reflect both a "for" and "against" vaccination standpoint.'
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