Important for mothers of daughters re: Guardasil
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive July 2008:
Important for mothers of daughters re: Guardasil
This was posted on one of our local moms group here and I found it very interesting. I am not posting as a debate, just informational and something to consider if you have a daughter that is nearing or in the target age group. I am not familiar with the website or their bias towards the topic. But regardless it is something to learn more about.
Here is the link and below is a copy of the article.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=68454
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Death toll linked to Gardasil vaccine rises
Complications include shock, 'foaming at mouth,' convulsions, coma
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Posted: June 30, 2008
10:18 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
"Anaphylactic shock," "foaming at mouth," "grand mal convulsion," "coma" and "now paralyzed" are a few of the startling descriptions included in a new federal report describing the complications from Merck & Co.'s Gardasil medication for sexually transmitted human papillomavirus – which has been proposed as mandatory for all schoolgirls.
The document was obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by Judicial Watch, a Washington group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, and it has details of 10 deaths just since September.
"Given all the questions about Gardasil, the best public health policy would be to re-evaluate its safety and to prohibit its distribution to minors. In the least, governments should rethink any efforts to mandate or promote this vaccine for children,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
The organization's work uncovered reports of about one death each month since last fall, bringing the total death toll from the drug to at least 18 and as many as 20. There also were 140 "serious" reports of complications including about three dozen classified as life-threatening, 10 spontaneous abortions and half a dozen cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
The document reveals the case of an 18-year-old woman who got the Gardasil vaccine, was found unconscious that evening, and died. Another woman, age 19, got the drug and the next morning was found dead in her bed.
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The new documents also reveal a total of 8,864 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System records, up from a total of 3,461 that had been reported in a document just last fall.
WND previously has reported how Merck was lobbying state lawmakers to require the vaccination, but said it would quit the campaign after its activities were unveiled.
WND also reported when a key researcher into human papillomavirus, which is targeted by Gardasil, reported it needed more testing, and how even the Centers for Disease Control suggested the vaccine should not be mandatory.
That, however, has not diverted the building campaign to have legislatures adopt mandatory vaccination plans.
Judicial Watch said one of the reports, VAERS ID: 310262-1 (D), had this to say:
"Information has been received…concerning a 20-year-old female with no medical history reported, who on 01-APR-2008 was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil….The patient died four days after…patient sought unspecified medical attention. An autopsy was performed which ruled out suicide and anything suspicious."
Another report said, "Information has been received from a physician concerning a female patient who on an unknown date was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced a coma and is now paralyzed. At the time of this report, the patient's outcome was unknown. VAERS ID: 303188-1"
The target of the vaccine is cervical cancer, since studies show that those who have HPV have a higher chance of later developing cervical cancer. However, opponents note that such cancers develop most often in older women, while the plan is to require girls as young as 11 or 12 years old to be inoculated. They cite the lack of evidence that the vaccine would have an impact later in life.
A Judicial Watch report said, "Even though Gardasil will not be fully tested for safety until 2009, physicians are already pushing it as a routine, harmless vaccine. Merck's aggressive advertisement campaign tells young girls that their lives could be 'one less' affected by cervical cancer and that, 'It's your turn to help guard against cervical cancer.'"
The report also estimated it will cost as much as $2 billion to buy vaccinations for the nation's poorest girls.
"This vaccine will be more expensive than all other childhood vaccines put together," concluded John Schiller, a National Cancer Institute investigator.
Judicial Watch earlier uncovered reports such as this:
"Initial and follow-up information has been received from a physician concerning an 'otherwise healthy' 13 year old female who was vaccinated with her first and second doses of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced … paralysis from the chest down, lesions of the optic nerve…At the time of the report, the patient had not recovered."
Officials with the Abstinence Clearinghouse noted in a position paper that groups including the Texas Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine have come out publicly against mandatory vaccination.
"The reasoning of these medical associations is clear. They are not opposed to medical progress, and certainly support all efforts to combat life-threatening diseases. The problem, as these organizations see it, lies in the fact that the drug only went through three and a half years of testing, leaving the medical community somewhat in the dark as to what serious adverse effects might result in the long term," the group said at the time.
"Along with the potential of serious adverse effects is the question of efficacy. There is evidence that after approximately four years, the vaccine's potency significantly declines. The long-term value of the vaccine has yet to be determined; if it wears off within six years, will girls and women need to repeat the battery of injections they originally received?" the organization wondered.
Michigan was the first state to introduce a plan to require the vaccine to be given to young girls, but the proposal failed. Ohio also considered a failed plan in 2006.
In 2007 Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign and contributions to Women in Government resulted in proposals in at least 39 states to institutionalize such vaccinations.
This vaccine is given out to girls in grade 8 in Ontario. I opted not to have it given to my girls.
Starting this school year, all girls in 6th grade will be given the vaccine. My dd is going into 7th, so thankfully we just missed it. I am opting not to have my dd get it. I think it is too new for me to be comfortable with, and I have other personal views.
Thanks for the information! It validates my concerns.
I've been hesitant about it ever since the commercials started. It just seems so new and untested. My daughter won't be getting it anytime soon.
My dd's will not be getting it either. It's too new and long term side effects are unknown.
I agree with Adena. Thanks for the information.
It's not mandatory for girls to receive it here. If it was I would protest against it.
So glad I was adamant about not getting this with my girls. My obgyn really is pushing this, but my pc totally agreed with me.
My dd is 8 and as of right now I don't plan on her getting it. It's too new. I don't think it should be mandatory for school. Hpv is contracted differently from things like measles.
Wow, I checked Snopes and didn't see any reason to not find this truthful, however I did send it to my good freind whose hubby is an ob/gyn I'll let you know if she/he has any comments.
Funny thing is my dd and I had this conversation on Saturday after seeing a commercial and she said her freinds had all gotten it (she's 14 and sophmore), I told her I didn't think this was a good time to make that choice as she's young and the vaccine is young and we don't know if there will be complications of the vaccine down the road.
Nope not doing it. Several OB friends have warned me not to. Not enough data yet.
My dd's ped started talking about it at her last appointment and wants to give it to her at the next well check-up. I think that the vaccine is a good idea, but I don't like how new it is and how little info there is on long-term effects so we will be putting it off for at least a few years.
Well... I guess maybe I am the odd one out.. I have read a lot and I was pretty nervous about it but my grandmother died from cervical cancer and I want my dds to be as low risk as possible... Trust me I thought long and hard about it and my girl's ped has been on me about it for a few years now but their insurance just started covering it. Both of mine have had the first shot and are about to go back for the second in a few weeks..
I don't know if the side effects are from the first one but they didn't have anything but a little soreness at the sight..
I just have this horrible fear.. I have been having messed up paps for years and my sis has already had pre cancerous cells removed from her cervix... And anything I can do to not put my kids through that I will. So maybe we will all find out it is a good thing in the end! Those are my thoughts and prayers anyway!
Sarah decided herself, to get the shot, at the end of June, when she got her meningitis shot. She is 18 now, so can make her own decisions. So far, she has had NO side effects. She never even complained about soreness, where she got the shot.
I was just talking to DSH about getting our DSD the shot..I knew that I was going to do the research...Momsview was gonna be on my list...I was gonna post something...THANK YOU for doing it for me Dana...I will check this out!
Funny... My DH just asked me about this the other night while we were watching tv and the commercial came on!!! I am not considering this for my DD, although she's only 6, so the question has not come up yet.
My state was one of the states proposing to make this vaccine a legal requirement. I'm so glad it didn't go through! I'm not comfortable with this vaccine as of yet. It's too new and the incidences of death and/or complications are too high as far as I'm concerned. There is no history of cervical cancer in our family and I never had HPV, so I'm OK with holding off the vaccine for DD. Of course that doesn't mean she will never get HPV or cervical cancer, but for now, I don't think the risks of the vaccine are worth it.
We also have opted out of this so far. My worries were how long the effectiveness is. If I give it to my 12 year old (which is the reccomendation) and it only lasts for 5 years, it seems that it puts her in a higher risk group. I would like to have her make that choice at 18, but part of that is my daughters personality. She isn't really into boys. I do think she will date in high school, but not for a couple of years yet. I guess we will play it by ear.
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