New recommendations for Gardasil vaccine may put boys at risk
February 2nd, 2012 by Wendi Lewis
Despite outcry from parents of girls who have received the HPV vaccine Gardasil, and criticism about the vaccine’s effectiveness from one of its own creators, this month the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed its use for boys. This follows a similar recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Critics of the vaccine, which has been linked to thousands of complaints of serious adverse side effects, are left to wonder why their voices are not being heard.
As expected, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee this week recommended expanding the use of the Gardasil vaccine, manufactured by Merck, to include boys and young men. The vaccine, which targets the human papillomavirus (HPV), previously has been recommended for girls, as a way to prevent cervical cancer caused by certain types of HPV. Gardsil use had already been approved by the FDA to treat boys in October 2009, although it was not yet given “recommended” status. The CDC reports that approximately 32 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in the United States since the vaccine was initially approved in 2006.
In this week’s GOP Presidential debate, candidate Michele Bachmann criticized Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry for his attempt to mandate the use of Gardasil in his state. Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, is promoted as a preventive treatment against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus linked to the development of cervical cancer. Following a public outcry in the state of Texas, the mandate was overturned. Bachmann objected to the mandate for political reasons, but also expressed concerns that any parent might feel about being required to give their child a relatively new vaccine, about possible adverse 
A consumer watchdog group that specifically focuses on vaccine safety,