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A coroner in the Canadian province of Quebec is expressing concern about possible unknown side effects related to the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. The medical examiner became worried after examining the body of a 14-year-old girl, who died after receiving her second dose of the vaccine, which is used to protect girls and young women from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the Gardasil vaccine for the prevention of anal cancer. Previously, the drug was approved only for use in girls and young women, for the prevention of cervical cancer. Gardasil targets the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer. Recent studies have also show the virus can cause anal cancer.
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to decide by the end of the year whether it will recommend expanding the use of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, for use in boys and young men. The drug, which targets the Human Papillomavirus and is currently recommended for use in girls and young women for the prevention of cervical cancer, is currently approved, but not recommended, for young men to prevent genital warts.
A report produced and aired recently by ABC News examines the safety issues surrounding the vaccine Gardasil. The vaccine, manufactured by Merck & Co., has been approved since 2006 for young girls, as a prevention against the development of cervical cancer. Recently, the FDA approved the drug for use in boys and young men, to prevent the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer and has now been linked to the development of throat cancer as well as penile and anal cancers. However, reports of serious side effects and even death have been linked to the vaccine.
Recently, WTVR CBS-6 News in Richmond, Virginia, brought viewers a troubling report of serious adverse events and 16 deaths linked to the Gardasil vaccine. The vaccine, which is intended to prevent four types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer, is required for girls in Virginia prior to entering the sixth grade unless their parents object. The story, which is based on a new FDA adverse event report obtained by the government watchdog group Judicial Watch, sparked debate in the area and is generating interest nationwide.
Parents in Virginia are worried following the release of a new report that links the Gardasil vaccine to 16 deaths and nearly 4,000 adverse events. Currently, the vaccine, which protects against four types of human papillomavirus (HPV) linked to cervical cancer, is required for girls in the state prior to entering the sixth grade, unless parents object.
A video produced by Jenny Thompson, director of The Health Sciences Institute, outlines the myths and untold dangers surrounding the vaccine Gardasil. Gardasil, manufactured by Merck & Co., is marketed as a preventive treatment for girls beginning at age 9 to protect them from cervical cancer. The drug actually targets the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts and precancerous lesions on the cervix. However, Thompson says, the drugmaker is pushing to make the drug mandatory for school-age girls, and minimizes the dangerous side effects experienced by many girls after receiving the vaccine.
SM Mohammed Idris, president of the Consumers Association of Penang, recently wrote an opinion piece for the Malaysia Kini website, asking that the government reconsider its decision to vaccinate all 13-year-old girls in the country with Gardasil or Cervarix. According to the column, the country’s Ministry of Health (MOH) will spend RM 150 million annually for the vaccinations, which will affect about 300,000 girls. Idris warns the vaccine is “unnecessary, unscientific and unsafe.”
S.A.N.E. VAX, Inc., is newly established non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safe, affordable, necessary and effective vaccines and vaccination practices through education and information. Its mission is two-fold: to provide information individuals need to make informed decisions prior to vaccination, and to help people locate appropriate medical and legal assistance if they or a loved one suffers from a serious adverse event after a vaccination. The organization is beginning its work with a critical evaluation of the drug Gardasil.
There is a push to expand the distribution of the Gardasil vaccine, manufactured by Merck & Company, to boys, as recent studies are linking the development of throat cancers to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Gardasil is currently marketed as a treatment for girls and young women for the prevention of cervical cancer, which also is caused by HPV. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. Gardasil protects against four types of HPV, two of which are most often linked to the development of cervical cancer.
