spenac Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 Well government claims its safe yet many young girls are getting sick after getting it and some have even died. Coincidence? I think not. To think the governor of Texas tried to make it mandatory. So should we just say yes to everything we are told is good for us? Here are links to just a couple of reports. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/257045 http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=71833 http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/257045 Lawyers Filing Suit - Gardasil Has Suspected Link To Paralysis, Brain Damage & Death Posted 14 hours ago by Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop) in Health | 304 views Fed's are probing into records of over 8,000 adverse events reported since the 2006 FDA approval of the Merck vaccine touted as an HPV cancer preventative. Side effects reported include paralysis, immune system disorders and a record of 18 possible deaths "I Want To Be One Less" - the familiar slogan of the heavily advertised vaccine may prove to be more fatal that fabulous. We're all familiar with the catchy phrases, the jump rope ads, the clever rhythmical lyrics that accompany the commercials for Gardasil. Advertised heavily across the US and abroad, Gardasil has been touted as a "must have" vaccine for girls aged 9 thru 26. TV screens and movie theatre ads have been singing the praises of the drug, claiming that it is a preventative against HPV (human papillomavirus), which is the main cause of cervical cancer. Sold throughout the world, at an average cost of $360.00 per treatment (3 doses are required over a period of several weeks), it is estimated that over 8 million US girls and women have received the drug in the past 2 years. Security and Exchange Commission records show that Merck and Co. has profited 1.5 million last year alone from the sale of Gardasil. Immediately following it's FDA approval, Merck went on a nationwide campaign to make the vaccine mandatory, actively urging legislatures in all 50 states to pass laws requiring all school aged girls to be treated with the drug. Following heaving criticism from the media and other organizations, Merck dropped the push for state mandates in February 2006, instead concentrating on major ad campaigns urging the general female population to obtain the vaccine in order to prevent cervical cancer. Texas was the only state to pass laws mandating the vaccine before Merck withdrew it's efforts. Lawyers in the last month have filed the first two claims on behalf of girls with ailments blamed on Gardasil under a federal program to compensate victims of vaccine-caused illness. Under the federal law passed in the late 1980s, victims of vaccines may file a claim under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, but cannot sue the pharmaceutical company. Last year, the government added HPV to a list of vaccines, including polio, hepatitis and measles, granted immunity from suit. A New York Post analysis of adverse event reports filed through April 30 of 2008 found that about 20 percent of such reports followed injections of Gardasil. If victims prove a vaccine likely caused injuries, the program pays a maximum $250,000 for death. The average payment for injury has been $1 million. Gardasil has a laundry list of reported "incidents" - 8,000 to date - which include nausea, vomiting, seizures, paralysis, autoimmune disorders and 18 deaths which are under investigation due to the timing between the receipt of the vaccine and the young women's death. The current suits filed on behalf of two young girls reported the following adverse reactions following the vaccinations - both of which were received by the girls in their middle schools. One is Jesalee Parsons, now 15, of Oklahoma, who began vomiting the day she got a Gardasil shot and developed pancreatitis, her claim says. "It makes me mad because they're saying how great it is, but they never mention how many people have been hurt by it," Jesalee told The Post. Healthy all her life, her family says, Jesalee has been hospitalized on and off for more than a year. She restricts her diet, takes pain pills and misses many school days. "I'm pretty sick all the time," she said. The other claim was filed for Jessica Vega of Nevada, who came down with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an immune-system disorder, at age 14 - a week after her second Gardasil shot. Thirty others have reported the syndrome after getting the vaccine. Jessica's mother, Rhonda Vega, told the Post that her daughter's lower arms and legs were paralyzed as a result of the shots, but she is now learning to walk again. 13-year-old Brittany LeClaire's mother, Christina Bell, reported that her daughter suffered paralysis as well within days of receiving her last dosage of the vaccine. She began having severe headaches and lethargy immediately after the injections, and then developed paralysis in her left leg. Following weeks of having to use a walker, Brittany still walks with a limp. Christina said her doctor "highly recommended" the vaccine. "He told me it was a cancer preventative. I thought it was the right thing to do. You see it advertised on TV every 15 minutes." The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, run by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has collected thousands of reports of health problems after Gardasil shots. The fatalities include: * A 17-year-old New York girl who collapsed and died on Feb. 22 this year, two days after the last of three Gardasil injections. An autopsy could not pinpoint the cause, but doctors suspect a heart-rhythm disorder. * An 11-year-old who suffered a heart attack in May 2007, three days after a Gardasil shot. The nurse who reported it said a doctor blamed it on "an anaphylactic [severe allergic] reaction to Gardasil." The feds could not confirm the case. * A 12-year-old girl with no prior medical problems who died in her sleep on Oct. 6, 2007, three weeks after a Gardasil shot. Dr. John Iskander, the CDC's acting director for immunization safety, says that the CDC has investigated 10 of the reported deaths and has found no conclusive evidence linking the vaccine. He went on to state that "although it is sad that young, healthy young women die for no apparent reason" there was no conclusive evidence that Gardasil had created the adverse reactions experienced by the dead women, or those suffering from seizures, paralysis and brain damage. The only common side effect of the vaccine, according Dr. Iskander, is fainting. Merck spokeswoman Kelley Dougherty backed up Iskander's findings, and stated that the company "actively monitors" reports of side effects. "An event report does not mean that a causal relationship between an event and vaccination has been established - just that the event occurred after vaccination," she said. Spoken like a true government representative and pharmaceutical company spokesperson, wouldn't you agree?
Eydawn Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 There's a reason I didn't get it. I wait at least 4 years for a vaccine or drug to go to the general populace before I risk it... unless there is no alternative whatsoever. I was in the first wave of varicella vaccinations for teens who hadn't had chicken pox. Benefits outweighed the risks there for me... but I won't say I wasn't nervous. Wendy CO EMT-B
ERDoc Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 Let's put this in a little different perspective. The article says that 8000 women/girls have had adverse events. Seems like a lot, but that is .1% of the 8 million that have received it. Not a very high rate at all. Compare that to other medications that have adverse effects. Adverse effects could be anything and not necesarily serious. If you get a rash or a fever after the shot it can be listed as an adverse effect even if it was not caused by the shot. They also list 18 deaths, which is .000225% of the women who have recieved it. We give medications all of the time with a higher mortality rate. People are going to get sick a some point and if you think back far enough you can link it to something. Two events can be close temporally but not be related. Two days after my son got his chicken pox shot he broke his arm. Does this mean that the shot caused hit arm to break? No, they were just two seperate events that happened to occur at about the same time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that medications (including vaccines) are not without problems, but we need to keep things in perspective. As Wendy said, I would not give my daughter the shot until after it has been out on the market for a few years.
Richard B the EMT Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 I'd be nervous. For weight loss, I was on "Fen-Phen", linked to cardiac valve failure, amongst other cardiac ailments. I checked out OK, but am now about to start "Alli".
Eydawn Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 OMG... with all the warnings about anal leakage? You're a brave soul, Richard B... Good luck and dark pants to you... On a serious note, way to try to lose the weight. I know it must be difficult, and I hope it actually works well for you! Wendy CO EMT-B
Doczilla Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 I am glad that the CDC is investigating, and that so far they haven't linked a cause of death to the vaccine. A lot of parents who suffer a tragedy such as the loss of a child will want to pinpoint a cause, especially when none is immediately evident on autopsy. It may seem that this recent vaccination is a likely target. As ER Doc says, proximity does not mean causality. Unfortunately, it might take a lot to get this out of the collective consciousness. That whole vaccine-autism thing is still a misconception that many parents have, propagated by the internet, that many hang onto despite excellent well-designed multi-center trials disproving any link. The patient having an "anaphylactic" reaction several days after the Gardasil shot? Not bloody likely. The implications of the marketing of this thing are brilliant: a vaccine against a cancer, the silent part of it being that it is caused by a sexually transmitted virus that can be prevented through protected sex. We can make our daughters "one less" by giving them a shot without bringing up the ugly discussion of :shock: birth control and safe sex. It's the ultimate redirect to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. 'zilla
HellsBells Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 The implications of the marketing of this thing are brilliant: a vaccine against a cancer, the silent part of it being that it is caused by a sexually transmitted virus that can be prevented through protected sex. We can make our daughters "one less" by giving them a shot without bringing up the ugly discussion of birth control and safe sex. It's the ultimate redirect to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. 'zilla ...but does it actually avoid the conversation? There has been a lot of discussion here in Alberta about the subject and the implication that taking the drug will somehow incourage promiscuous behavior in young girls. A prominent Catholic priest in my city has spoken out publicly against the vaccine, citing girls will be more likely to engauge in premarital sex after taking it. How this drug encourages sexual activity any more than a tetanus shot encourages kids stepping on rusty nails is beyond me.
dougd Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 A prominent Catholic priest in my city has spoken out publicly against the vaccine, citing girls will be more likely to engauge in premarital sex after taking it. How this drug encourages sexual activity any more than a tetanus shot encourages kids stepping on rusty nails is beyond me. Teenagers are going to continue to engage in premarital sex, just as they have been all along - regardless of if they have the vaccine or not. But don't expect to be on your priest's good side when you tell him that.
BushyFromOz Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 I think people like this priest need to give kids more credit. Its like drugs and alcohol. Fidgureheads get on the TV and rabbit on about how role models influence kids into alcohol and drugs like they are some kind of brainless group of people who have no concept of right or wrong. kids know its wrong, and unhealthy and dangerous, but they do it anyway. Some of the brainiest down to earth people i knew when i was in high school did some really really stupid things, not because they didn't know the consequences, but because they could do it anyway.
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