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October 17, 2012

SPOTLIGHT ON GARDASIL

We wanted to share some important new and updated information:

Please keep reading. We also have some gifts for you, including a free chapter download about Gardasil, and some goodies in exchange for your donation to the Center for Personal Rights.

GARDASIL FACTS

Brand New to Must-Have Vaccine, to Billion $ Blockbuster for Merck

Gardasil was licensed for use in 2006 for females aged 9 to 26 years. The CDC recommended it for sixth grade girls in 2007. In 2009, the FDA approved its use in males aged 9 to 26 years.

Twenty-four states introduced bills in 2007 to make Gardasil mandatory for school admission.

Gardasil is currently mandated for sixth graders in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Gardasil sales:
2007 $1.5 billion
2008 $1.4 billion
2009 $1.1 billion
2010 $998 million
2011 $1.2 billion
Second quarter 2012 sales are up 17% over the prior year.

The vaccine received scrutiny and bad press by many, including the New York Times, the New England Journal of Medicine, Truth About Gardasil, a lead researcher Dr. Diane Harper, and Michele Bachmann.

Over 95 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed globally through June 2012, either as part of national immunization programs or by private doctors.

Gardasil is approved in over 80 countries worldwide.

INFERTILITY FOLLOWING GARDASIL VACCINATION

Two weeks ago, the British Medical Journal reported a case of premature ovarian failure 3 years after menarche (first menstrual period) in a 16 year-old girl following human papillomavirus vaccination.

"Premature ovarian failure in a well adolescent is a rare event. Its occurrence raises important questions about causation, which may signal other systemic concerns."

"This event could hold potential implications for population health and prompts further inquiry."

Read more HERE.

A MORATORIUM ON GARDASIL IN FRANCE

France has stopped the distribution of the quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccine known as Gardasil. The government has ordered a study regarding the efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness of aluminum-containing vaccines.

Read more: French version and English translation (March 2012).

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN SPAIN SEEK TO BAN GARDASIL

Medical professionals, vaccine-injury victims, public health experts, scientists, and vaccine safety advocates have joined forces to formally demand the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy remove HPV vaccines from the immunization schedule and establish a compensation fund for those who have suffered adverse effects from vaccines.

Read about their efforts HERE. The article contains a link to a document and July 2009 petition signed by more than 10,000 health professionals and associations, entitled "Reasons for a Moratorium on the use of HPV vaccines in Spain."

INDIA RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT HPV VACCINATION

As reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine:

"The Indian government suspended research in April 2010 on the feasibility and safety of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in two Indian states (Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat) amid public concerns about its safety...

Current data on HPV type and cervical cancer incidence do not support [the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health] PATH's claim that India has a large burden of cervical cancer or its decision to roll out the vaccine programme. In the absence of comprehensive cancer surveillance, World Health Organization criteria with respect to monitoring effectiveness of the vaccine and knowledge of disease trends cannot be fulfilled."

Read more HERE (July 2012).

AUSTRALIA: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST GARDASIL MFR

Naomi Snell, founder of the Melbourne support group, Australia Gardasil Girls, suffered MS-like symptoms following Gardasil vaccination. She is leading a group of women taking Merck to court.

Read more: Knox Leader and Herald Sun.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Center

HPV Vaccine - Protect Now for the Future - Version 9, September 2012

1. How safe is the vaccine? (p.14)

"Gardasil is considered safe and well tolerated."

"Syncope (fainting) has occurred after vaccination with Gardasil, especially in adolescents."

"In some countries there have been deaths reported following HPV vaccination - however further investigation has shown that none of these deaths were causally associated with the HPV vaccine and were due to unrelated causes such as road traffic accidents, drowning, malaria, and an undiagnosed tumor."

[How thorough are their investigations? Might fainting while crossing a street, driving, or swimming cause traffic accidents or drowning?]

2. What should happen with a girl who has a hypersensitivity reaction post vaccination? (p.15)

"The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NAIC) recommends that those who had a non-anaphylactic hypersensitivity reaction to any vaccine may be given a subsequent dose of that vaccine if needed."

"There are degrees of Hypersensitivity reactions."

"The only absolute contraindication to most vaccines is previous anaphylaxis to the vaccines or any of its constituents."

[Is the only way to avoid vaccine injury to first be injured by a vaccine?]

3. Are aluminum-containing vaccines safe?

"The World Health Organization's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety stated that
at present, there is no evidence of a health risk from aluminum-containing vaccines."

[Of interest are Lucia Tomljenovic's and Chris Shaw's recent studies: Mechanisms of Aluminum Adjuvant Toxicity in and Autoimmunity in Pediatric Populations published in Lupus (2012) and Do Aluminum Vaccine Adjuvants Contribute to the Rising Prevalence of Autism? published in the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry (2011)]

4. Can Gardasil affect a girl's fertility? (p.18)

"No. Gardasil does not affect a girl's future fertility."

[The recent British Medical Journal article raises serious questions about a 16 year old who became infertile following HPV vaccination]

5. Can Gardasil be given to a girl using hormonal contraceptives? (p.18)

"Yes. In clinical studies of Gardasil the use of hormonal contraceptives did not appear to affect the immune response to Gardasil."

[What if there are broader safety concerns beyond the product's immune response?]

6. What should happen to a girl who receives her first or second dose of HPV and then becomes immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment? (p.18)

"There is no contraindication to a girl receiving HPV vaccine as long as she is well and does not have a high fever. There is no risk to receiving HPV vaccine if her immune system is lowered..."

[Guidelines for vaccine use with the immunosuppressed are not so clear. In addition to the CDC's website, here are several different guides and tables, including the Guide to Vaccine Contraindications and Precautions, Guide to Contraindications to Vaccination, and the following Table listing contraindications to commonly used vaccines. The CDC also offers its Conditions Commonly Misperceived as Contraindications to Vaccination.]

ADVERSE EVENTS FOLLOWING HPV VACCINATION

As of August 13, 2012, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System has received 27,023 reports of adverse reactions following HPV vaccination, including:

If you are interested in researching the side effects post-vaccination reported in VAERS, including details regarding the individual cases, click HERE for online access to the database.

GARDASIL: A LICENSE TO KILL?

Free Download of Chapter 19

Mark Blaxill and Dan Olmsted write about astonishing conflicts of interest inherent in the “public-private partnership” that made the U.S. government and Merck close business partners in the fast-tracked delivery of the human papillomavirus vaccine to the marketplace.

Please thank Skyhorse Publishing for making a free download of chapter 19 available.

KEEP TALKING

We don't need the presidential debates to remind us that sparks fly when we confront the tough issues.

Across the nation, people are reeling about the fungal meningitis "outbreak" caused by contaminated steroid injections. At least 233 people in 15 states are sickened, and 16 people have died so far. More bad news is expected.

The federal government says children should receive 70 doses of 16 vaccines. State governments mandate up to 45 doses of 13 vaccines for daycare and school. That's a lot of injections.

Vaccines are unavoidably unsafe products. Drug companies cannot be sued for most vaccine-related injury and death.

Society will benefit from those willing to engage constructively in a dialogue about concerns, risks, and rights.

Louise Kuo Habakus

Mary Holland

Kim Mack Rosenberg

Note: we would like to thank Emily Tarsell for her assistance.