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Throughout the month of January, women are observing Cervical Health Awareness Month. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), each year in the U.S., approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. More than 4,000 women die as a result of cervical cancer annually. However, cervical cancer is preventable.
On first glance, a study published by drug manufacturer Merck & Co., in the New England Journal of Medicine appears to declare the Gardasil vaccine a resounding success. The pharmaceutical giant points to numbers that show its cervical cancer vaccine has an unbelievable 98 percent efficacy rate. On closer examination, however, perhaps unbelievable is the right word.
A page on the popular social networking site Facebook, called “Gardasil can be dangerous,” shares stories, news articles, personal accounts, videos and more, posted by individuals and families who have been affected by the vaccine. Manufactured by Merck, Gardasil is promoted as a preventive treatment for cervical cancer, and, more recently, for throat, penile and anal cancers as well. Initially marketed to girls and young women after being approved in 2006, the vaccine is now also given to boys and young men.
Two years after HPV-vaccine Gardasil was introduced to the public in 2006, CNN examined reports of serious adverse side effects linked to the drug. Gardasil is marketed primarily to young women, as a preventive treatment against cervical cancer. It protects against four types of human papillomavirus, which is linked to causing cervical cancer. However, some medical experts argue the vaccine is unnecessary, as the body naturally clears more than 90 percent of HPV, and cervical cancer can be detected with an annual pap smear.
In January we reported about a project proposed by a group of independent filmmakers, who hoped to create a documentary about the harmful side effects of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. In march, Beasley Allen Law Firm committed financially to help them. Titled “One More Girl,” the documentary will share the stories of individuals and families devastated following a Gardasil injection.
A New Zealand mother, upset about a lack of notice her child’s school provided to parents about upcoming Gardasil vaccinations, has launched a website to warn parents about the dangers associated with the vaccine. Promoted as a prevention for cervical cancer by protecting against four types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil is being recommended for girls and young women beginning at age 9. However, the vaccination has been linked to serious adverse effects, and more than 80 young women have died following Gardasil vaccinations.
A recent lecture presented by Southern Methodist University’s Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility, in collaboration with SMU’s Department of Anthropology, examined the ethical questions of pharmaceutical company Merck’s marketing of its Gardasil vaccine. The drug, fast-tracked for approval in 2006 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was aggressively marketed as a preventive for cervical cancer.
A recent news report says the prevalence and promotion of cervical cancer vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix may cause women who are vaccinated to skip vital medical screening that could save their lives. According to the story in a recent edition of Australia’s News Limited publication, The Advertiser, studies indicate women believe receiving the vaccine makes annual Pap smears unnecessary. However, because cervical cancer vaccines only protect against a few of the hundreds of types of human papillomavirus (HPV), Pap smears are still a very important part of being protected against cervical cancer.
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.
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.
