Jordan has been keeping me updated on Gardasil, the vaccine against strains of the Human Papilloma Virus, and the irrational push to mandate it for young girls. The virus is a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to some forms of cervical cancer. They claim that the vaccine will prevent less than 2000 deaths per year for the vaccine. In today’s (3-11-07) Plain Dealer, Elizabeth Auster writes a column ^[1] on the dangers of making the vaccine mandatory, and the editorial board has a piece ^[2] that is against the mandatory vaccine. Recently a Democrat in Toledo has introduced mandatory vaccine legislation, and Connie Schultz, wife of Democratic senator Sherrrod Brown, wrote a hit piece ^[3] in favor of this view. Thankfully Democratic governor Strickland has come out against it.

Some points to consider:

• Cervical cancer mortality is preventable from regular pap screens.
• Women should still have regular check ups to screen for cancer from other causes.
• This vaccine may create a false sense of security, keeping women from getting regular check ups.
• Sexually active women should still use condoms to prevent other STD’s as well as the deadly AIDS virus
• In the worldwide safety study of the drug, only 1,184 girls age 9-15 were tested.
• No participant in the safety study has been followed for more than 5 years.
• There have been over 84 adverse drug reactions filed with the National Vaccine Information Center in the last six months after Gardasil injections.
• Aluminum is an ingredient in the vaccine. Side effects include Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and hyperactivity and learning disorders in kids.
• Another ingredient is Polysorbate 80 (aka Tween 80), which has been linked to abnormal reproductive developments in rats.
• There is some concern about a small, but statistically insignificant, rise in birth defects from children of mothers given doses of Gardasil.
• According to the CDC, 91% of all HPV infections are cleared by the woman’s immune system within two years.

The idea of a national mandatory inoculation of 100 million women in order to save .002% of them from themselves is ridiculous. Merck (bringers of the failed drug Vioxx which killed 28,000 people) stands to make billions of dollars every year off of this campaign, and have funded the innocuous sounding group Women In Government ^[4] that is pushing for mandatory inoculations ^[5].

For those “well meaning” politicians that have supported these bills in the past, how about focusing on getting the drugs and chemicals ^[6] out of our food and water, rather than imposing drugs on us?

More reading:

HPV Vaccine: Betting on a Mercky Record ^[7]

VACCINE SAFETY GROUP RELEASES GARDASIL REACTION REPORT ^[8]

What Causes Cervical Cancer? ^[9]

Common vaccine additives ^[10]

Gardasil® HPV vaccine: Cancer cause or Cancer preventive? ^[10]

Delayed effects of neonatal exposure to Tween 80 on female reproductive organs in rats. ^[11]

The health effects of aluminium–a review. ^[12]

CDC’s HPV
Information for Clinicians Brochure