Get the facts about Gardasil

-jacksonsun.com

09/11/2008- Do health officials really know what's best for our children? If so, then why are some of them campaigning for a vaccine, mostly geared toward 11- and 12-year-old girls, that's supposed to protect them against a sexually transmitted disease?

I'm sure most of you have heard of the vaccine Gardasil. It is designed to protect some girls and women against certain types of cancer.

This vaccine helps to protect against four types of the human papillomavirus, aka HPV. Those four types are Nos. 6, 11, 16, and 18. Nos. 16 and 18 cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, and the other two, Nos. 6 and 11, cause 90 percent of genital warts cases. (These types are transmitted sexually).

The vaccine is for girls and young women between the ages of 9 and 26 and is given in three injections within a six month period. And for those who don't know, especially parents, there are at least 30 or more strains of HPV. Therefore, the vaccine is not capable of protecting one against every strain of HPV.

Before allowing a physician to inject your daughter with Gardasil, a vaccine that could potentially have a poisonous and/or fatal effect, please get all of the facts from a physician you absolutely trust and do your own research. A family member's physician told her that it was a must that her daughter be vaccinated, and my family member, knowing very little about Gardasil, allowed her daughter to be vaccinated just because "she didn't know." All my family member knew was that she wanted her daughter to be protected "against cancer."

In a 24-page special report released June 30, Judicial Watch (www.judicialwatch.org), a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization that promotes "transparency and accountability in government," presents some sobering evidence. That evidence, based on government documents, shows that in the two years since being licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, Gardasil, heavily promoted "as a safe and effective vaccine" against cervical cancer, has been connected with nearly 9,000 "adverse events." That includes the deaths of 18, perhaps 20, girls and young women.

In addition, there were 140 "serious" events reported (27 categorized as "life-threatening"), with 10 spontaneous abortions and six cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome - all since January 2008.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rare, potentially devastating autoimmune disorder that attacks the peripheral nervous system and can lead to paralysis and, occasionally, death. There is no known cure or cause, but a fact sheet from the National Institute of Health says it's sometimes triggered by surgery or vaccinations.

Judicial Watch uncovered a total of 38 cases of GBS that have been filed with the FDA since June 2006 (six since January) among girls who had received at least one dose of the three-dose vaccine.

The records indicate 10 deaths since last September, bringing the total number of Gardasil-connected death reports in the United States to at least 18; four of these were from blood clots, nine from unknown or unidentifiable causes.

The fatalities include:

- A 20-year-old woman with no medical history reported, who was vaccinated April 1 with Gardasil and died four days later, seeking medical attention. An autopsy was performed which ruled out suicide or anything suspicious. The cause of death is currently unknown. [Vaccine adverse Effects Report System aka VAERS ID 310262-1 (D)]

- A 12-year-old girl with no reported medical problems, who died in her sleep of unknown causes on Oct. 6, 2007, three weeks after receiving a Gardasil shot. [VAERS ID: 297528-1 (D)]

- An 11-year-old girl, vaccinated in May 2007 with a first dose of Gardasil, who died three days later after going to an emergency room. A physician at the hospital said "death was due to an anaphylactic [severe allergic] reaction to Gardasil."[VAERS ID 280163-1 (D)]

Because adverse reactions to medication tend to be underreported, Judicial Watch believes the actual number is likely to be higher.

The vaccine's manufacturer, Merck & Co. Inc., says it has distributed more than 26 million Gardasil vaccines worldwide, including nearly 16 million in the United States. It estimates that 8 million girls and women have received the vaccine in the United States since June 2006.

Gardasil also says that only a doctor or healthcare professional can decide if Gardasil is right for you or your daughter. You be the judge.

Visit cdc.gov for more information on HPV.

Delita Johnson is the founder of Focus On Christ Ministries, an inter-denominational ministry that focuses on building family values. For more information, e-mail her at delita@focusonchristministries.org.

If you or a loved one have experienced serious side effects as a result of the Gardasil HPV vaccination such as blood clots, paralysis, seizures, or other Gardasil side effects, you may be entitled to compensation. Pregnant women who suffered a miscarriage or fetal abnormalities following the administration of Gardasil, should contact one of our Gardasil side effect lawyers in order to protect your rights. For more information about a potential Gardasil lawsuit, or Gardasil side effects, fill out our free case evaluation form or call the toll-free number listed below today.