Gardasil Researcher Cautions Parents
In an unprecedented move, one of the lead researchers who tested Gardasil has spoken out against the vaccine.
Dr. Diane Harper tested Gardasil through Phases II and III of the trials and was part of the media blitz behind it, publicly touting its ability to prevent HPV.
But now, she cautions parents to be well aware of the risks and effectiveness before they decide their daughters should get the shot, according to CBS.
The rate of serious adverse events on par with the death rate of cervical cancer. Gardasil has been associated with at least as many serious adverse events as there are deaths from cervical cancer developing each year.
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Indeed, she says the vaccine is only effective for 5 years, giving no reasons for the public to routinely vaccinate 11-year-olds. She says the benefits would only come in handy with a vaccination that would last 15 years or so.
Currently, routine Pap smears will detect precancerous cells. Paps (named for the human papillomavirus, or HPV) have played a huge part in lowering the rate of cervical cancer deaths. HPV remains a leading cancer death for women in developing countries.
The number of women who die from cervical cancer in the US every year is small but real. It is small because of the success of the Pap screening program.
Right now, the CDC continues to recommend the HPV vaccine for young girls, and as I posted earlier this week, some states, like Virginia, are requesting that all girls entering the 6th grade receive the Gardasil shot.
Gardasil protects against two types of HPV that are responsible for approximately 60% of cervical cancer cases, as well as two types that cause “lesions” (genital warts).
But to the families of the girls who have had serious side affects from the vaccine, the risk of getting the shot is very real. One parent commented,
Merck got it right when they used the slogan “One Less” for Gardasil. Because of Gardasil, my daughter was “One Less”. She was “One Less Student”, “One Less Active Child”, “One Less in every aspect of her life”.
Merck, the drugmaker that has aggressively promoted their HPV vaccine, continues to claim Gardasil is safe and effective. Earlier this year, the FDA had the company add the side effects, “fainting, tonic-clonic reactions, and seizures” in the package warnings.
Harper urges families to research before they decide whether girls should receive the shot.
If we vaccinate 11-year-olds and the protection doesn’t last… we’ve put them at harm from side effects, small but real, for no benefit. The benefit to public health is nothing, there is no reduction in cervical cancers, they are just postponed, unless the protection lasts for at least 15 years, and over 70% of all sexually active females of all ages are vaccinated.
Image: yanivba on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
AWESOME ARTICLE! My child was injured by Gardasil and has been “ONE LESS” in all aspects of her life for the past year. Take it from a parent who has had to explain to her 13 year old daughter why she could not longer see her friends, attend school, attend church, etc. because she became so sick after being vaccinated with Gardasil that her life became a constant trip to hospitals and doctor’s offices. For the past year, she has been treated by both Wake Forest Baptist Brenner’s Children’s Hospital and Duke University Children’s Hospital at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars. No child should have to go through this. It is not worth it. Many young women have died. The government tracking system VAERS is not used as it should be. The #’s of adverse effects are grossly understated. I had to explain to my doctors what VAERS is and demand that my daughter’s reports be filed in VAERS. Even though she is currently listed as one of the disabled in VAERS it was up to me to ensure that she was even entered in the system. The FDA and CDC need to investigate this vaccine and pull it off the market before more children are injured and killed. Parent’s before you risk harming your child with this vaccine which is made by Merck, all I ask you to do is investigate. Would you buy a car without investigating the manufacturer? I wouldn’t think so. IF the manufacturer had a history of building cars in which the engine would blow in less than a year, would you still purchase from them. Well look at this as a consumer and investigate Merck’s former drugs. A good example is VIOXX. Just research it and then make your decision. Look how many years it was on the market and how many people died before it was pulled off. I wish I had known this before my daughter was vaccinated. I can assure you as a consumer, I would not have purchased a product from a company with a history such as Merck’s. Just GOOGLE and make the decision for yourself. At least you now know to INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU VACCINATE. Your precious child’s life may depend on it.
Thank you for this article and thank you to Diane Harper for coming out so strongly against this vaccine. It is a bad vaccine! My daughter had pneumonia, hair loss, migraines, and menopausal symptoms after the vaccine. She has been hospitalized twice for dehydration. Check the VAERS site … you will see so many similar side effects that it would be unconscionable to give any more girls this vaccine. Perhaps there is a heredity connection (a vitamin deficiency) … Merck should be looking into that possibility instead of trying new ways to market this product for the sake of $$$$$. Please investigate any vaccine - including the new H1N1 prior to getting it. Your life may be at stake. Most days I wonder how long the side effects will last and if my daughter will get through this long-term. How do you think that makes me feel as a parent who wanted my daughter to have the vaccine?!
Prior to Gardasil, I had no previous known illnesses or behavioral issues, except for an occasional migraine headache. I had no complications whatsoever with IUD or menstrual cycle until after I had my first Gardasil shot (lot 1758U) on April 28, 2008 - IUD removed October 2008. My second Gardasil vaccination (lot 0651X) was on January 8, 2009 and I had this along with a tetanus shot. My symptoms include: 30 lbs unexplained weight loss. Hair falling out in clumps and migraines. Would have sudden sharp pains all over my body, which are most intense in my head, abdomen and legs. Earaches and frequent ear popping. Pain and stiffness in elbows, knees, wrists and ankles and a numbness in my face including lips, nose and cheeks. Pressure in sinuses, stiffness and tightening in my neck. Vision problems including double vision, blurred vision, light auras, difficulty focusing and pain/pressure in and around my eyes. Frequent muscle spasms all over and a weakness/numbness/tingling in arms and pains in legs. Weak to no reflexes in my left elbow and right knee. Chest pains and tightness. Sharp shooting pains in pelvic area/vaginal areas. Menstrual irregularity and heaviness with pain in lower back. Cramps/Charlie horses in legs and feet and also cold hands and feet and also experiencing tremors in my legs. Severe anxiety issues, causing my heart to race/blood pressure to increase; anger and irritability issues. I am unable to concentrate for any length of time. The sensation to urinate comes on strong and it feels like I am going to lose control and am left with a feeling of incomplete urination.
PLEASE!!!!! READ THE FACTS BEFORE GETTING THIS VACCINE!!!! I AM SOOOOOOO SICK AND JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE MYSELF AGAIN!
Gardasil has completely changed my life. Before Gardasil, I never had a pain that I could not explain. For a year now I have been in and out of doctors offices desperately searching for an answer. I am no longer able to perform my job the way I used to. Before Gardasil, I was enrolled in college with a 4.0 and now I cannot even finish a book I am just trying to enjoy. I feel like I am not giving my son and fiancé the time they deserve from me, because I am too tired, in too much pain, or because I am at the doctor’s office. I just want to be myself again and enjoy every moment of being a mom, but everyday it feels like I am falling further away from the “old me” or the “me before Gardasil.”
feel free to email me at Theresa182@gmail.com
My 16 year old daughter was also injured from the Gardasil vaccine. This vaccine was literally pushed on us during a routine dr. visit. My daughter had 2 of the 3 injections, January 9th, 2009 and March 9th, 2009. Since receiving these 2 injections, my once happy and healthy 16 year old daughter now has overall weakness, numbness and tingling in both legs and left arm, severe back pain, pressure headaches, vision problems, back pain, neck pain, stomach problems, nausea, diarhea, weight loss, hair loss, brain fog, mood changes, racing heartbeat, chest pains just to name a few. She went from an A/B student to failing her 10th grade year. She has been rushed to the ER 3 times because of breathing problems. We have been in and out of doctors offices trying to find the cause. She has had CT scans and full blood panel workups only to have all test results come back normal.
The FDA fast tracked this vaccine. Us mothers are not told of the side effects.
If I had known that Merck was the manufacturer of Gardasil I would have NOT agreed to vaccinate my daughter.
I wish I had said NO until I could research this further. The guilt is overwhelming.
I fear my daughter will die in her sleep. She is scared to death! She cries all the time, saying “why me mom?…why me?”
This vaccine needs to be pulled! There is no documented proof that Gardasil prevents cervical cancer!
If an over-the-counter drug has any side effects, the FDA jumps all over it! But we have literally THOUSANDS of young girls becoming paralyzed, having grand-mal seizures, paralysis, blood clots and death!
Why isn’t something being done?
As a mother, I will not stop until Gardasil is removed from the market and Merck is made to pay for what they have done!!!
My daughter and I too have been affected by Gardasil. She has struggled with chronic pancreatitis and emotional problems, neurological affects since March of 2009. According to VAERS there are over 30 other cases of pancratitis and a few in Austrialia as well, the percentage of reports run about 10% of actual occurances. She can not go to school full time, she is in and out of the hospital, she has had two surgeries, and may be becoming diabetic. The tail of her pancreas was removed and there is scarring and atrophy. She has lesions in the white matter of her brain, trouble concentrating, severe depression and mood swings. Before Gardasil she was a straight A student, active in church and softball, a happy well adjusted 13 year old with no health problems. Gardasil has changed our life, and not in a good way. Please research prior to vaccination. These types of illnesses are preventable, if only I had not put blind faith in the CDC and FDA my child would still be on the fast track to success rather than merely another victim of BIG PHARMA.
My name is Macy, I’m 17 years old. I was a perfectly healthy teenage girl, I was in cheerleading and loved going out with my friends. But all that changed after i got my second Gardasil Vaccaine. I got my second shot on March 9, 2009. I though I was being responsible getting this shot. Four days later I was having terrible heachaches, the worst I have ever had before in my life and was always fatiqued.Within 2 weeks I was having non-epiletic seizures,tremors,numbness and pain in all my extremeties.I has been hospitalized twice with still no answers along With nurmerious trips to the ER, and Doctors blow it off and just give me more pain medincine . All the doctors I have seen will not admit Gardisil is doing this to girls. I have seen numerious docotrs and only one considered Gardasil is doing this, and that was at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital.I just wish doctors would research all the girls that are going through this. Yes, i know everything has risks but I was not warned about all the side effects. I was told I may be SLIGHLY fatiqued and have soreness around the injection sight. Never did I dream I would soon be having all theses problems.There are mornings that I can barely get out of the bed, my hair is falling out in clumps and I has lost 40 lbs.This has been a nightmare.I missed the whole second semester of my junior year and almost my first prom. It has been five months and I still have terrible headaches and servere pain in my back and neck, and I am trying my hardest to make it through my senior year, but it just started and I have already missed so many days. Now hositpal homebound may be a option for my senior year. I’m supposed to be having the time of my life right now and now this has affected everything. I wanna go off to college and the fear of not being healthly enough scares me. I was thrilled to see it on all the local networks (CBS, NBC, AND ABC) evening news, and the morning shows. Please do more research before getting your child vaccainated with this Vacine. It scares me that you can be as young as 12 years old and go to your local health department and get this vaccince, even without parents consent. My family has been through so much, and thats why we are now saying NO to Gardasil. So please research before even considering this “great new vaccine”, because now i am “one less” girl being able to live my life,thanks to Gardasil.
You should check out the National Vaccine Information Center. There is a letter from a doctors to re-evaluate the vaccine issue. http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/August-2009/An-Open-Letter-from-Lawrence-PalevskyMD.aspx
Please educate before considering this vaccine.
Our daughter had severe stomach pains, migraine headachs, severe fatigue. We thought it was due to her schedule of working and going to college.
I spoke with her that morning and two hrs later my beautiful daughter of 20 yrs had died. She had had the Gardasil vaccine and the pathologist could not find the cause of death. She was very healthy and happy. Merck got it right-WE ARE ONE LESS!!!
This is no game and all of these parents that are making comments are not putting it out there
just to scare you, we want you to know that there is something wrong with this vaccine in some young women. It needs to be investigated before there are any more that will become injured or worse, die.
My daughter was once a vibrant, healthy college student until a former family physician pressured, then frightened her into taking Gardasil. She received two of the three shots and began to have seizures, blurred vision/abnormal pupil response, head pressure, swelling at the base of her skull & down her spine, GI tract issues - lost a lot of weight, hair loss, intense nerve pain, peripheral neuropathy in both legs (no feeling from the knees down)& must use cuff crutches & wheelchair to get around. Her constant physical agony keeps her mostly bedridden, in a darkened room. She struggles to do anything considered normal - we would love to see her health return.. instead she is ONE LESS college student, one Less driver, one Less active life. The FDA needs to pull this vaccine before it destroys anymore lives.
Pap smears are not called “paps” because of the papilloma virus. The screening test is named after George Papanicolaou, the Greek physician who developed it.