Gardasil Safety in Question

by Sheena McAdoo

Beginning this fall, all young girls entering the 6th grade in Virginia schools are "required" to have been vaccinated with the controversial HPV vaccine, Gardasil. However, there is an "opt-out" provision which allows parents to reject the vaccine for their daughters.

Just last week, two new reports were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which have set off much debate over the safety of this drug that is supposed to protect young girls.

According to one report, it seems Merck minimized the sexual tranmission of HPV and overemphasized the risk of cervical cancer to adolescents. Merck's marketing scheme issued broad statements warning that all women are at risk of cervical cancer.

However, nearly all cervical cancer is known to be caused by HPV, which is a sexually transmitted disease (i.e., transmission is primarily through sexual contact with an infected person). It includes over 100 viral strains, about 40 of which cause genital infections. Of those 40, there are at least 18 viral strains known to be "high-risk" cancer-causing strains.

Gardasil contains only two of those high-risk cancer-causing strains and two of the low-risk strains that cause genital warts. Unfortunately, the message young women may perceive is that if they are vaccinated they will be protected against all cervical cancer. This is just one of many growing concerns about this vaccine and its misleading advertising.

Another report claims there have been 32 deaths linked to Gardasil. However, the study included only adverse events reported through December 31, 2008. Since then, there have been even more deaths, increasing the known total to 48 Gardasil-linked deaths. Other adverse events linked to Gardasil are blood clots, autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, Gullaine Barr Syndrome, and 2 reported cases of Lou Gehrig's disease.

While the CDC, FDA and Merck are still affirming Gardasil's safety, many are calling for further investigations looking into the cause of these deaths, as well as the other adverse events and their link to Gardasil.

For more information, see these links:

CDC Report Stirs Controversy For Merck's Gardasil Vaccine

Preventing Gardasil Vaccine Injuries & Deaths

Gardasil Death & Brain Damage: A National Tragedy

Judicial Watch Investigates Side-Effects of HPV Vaccine
New Worries About Gardasil Safety

Plan B One-Step Approved by the FDA

A single-pill version of the Plan B emergency contraception was approved by the FDA in July. It will be available for distribution in August. Previously, Plan B has only been available in a two-pill dose, each pill to be taken 12 hours apart.

The FDA also approved lowering the age requirement to 17 from 18 for over-the-counter access to Plan B. It will be available to girls under 17 by prescription only. According to Planned Parenthood, all a woman (or man) has to do is present a “valid, government issued identification that shows proof of age.” Girls under 17 must be “evaluated by our medical staff before a prescription-version of emergency contraception can be provided.”

So, all a 16-year old (or younger) girl has to do is show up at Planned Parenthood’s offices and receive this “evaluation” and she could leave with Plan B One-Step in hand, without even her parents knowing.

It is claimed that Plan B only prevents pregnancy, and does not terminate an existing pregnancy. However, WebMD.com describes this drug as “a progestin hormone that prevents pregnancy by preventing the release of an egg (ovulation) and changing the womb and cervical mucus to make it more difficult for an egg to meet sperm (fertilization) or attach to the wall of the womb (implantation).” Therefore, Plan B is not only intended to prevent fertilization, but also to prevent implantation if indeed fertilization does occur, thus ending an early pregnancy.

Furthermore, Plan B is also linked to an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. And women could be taking this drug needlessly if they were not fertile at the time of sex. Many young women don’t understand or track their fertility cycle, and may be unaware that one can only get pregnant a few days out of each month. The patient labeling states that it is “not intended for routine use.” Imagine the potential damage that could be done to a young woman’s fertility over time if she gets into the habit of taking Plan B every time a condom breaks or after each "unprotected" sexual encounter.

Such easy access to these drugs prevents any medical oversight that would otherwise be in place for patient protection against abuse. Allowing unmonitored access to “emergency contraception,” especially among adolescent girls, may also increase risk-taking behavior and promiscuity, increasing exposure to sexually transmitted disease, and further endangering the health of young women.