Gardasil for your daughter or not

[CraigB]

There is a new threat to young women. Not the kind of pervert lurking on the corner behind a tree. One that is waltzing across your television with promises of “one less”. Merck has developed a HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine, which does, in all likely hood, do what is intended, most of the time. Unfortunately, it also kills young women. One who died was healthy and seventeen prior to receiving the series of shots. One was twelve and had prior complications.
What is truly shocking is the blind ear turned to these things. VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) has received 1,800 adverse reactions since the release of the vaccine in 2006. Web MD writes about its only side effects being “soreness at the injection site” and later on the same page that it receives funding from both Merck and GlaxoSmithKlein a company with another HPV vaccine by the name of Cevarix.
There is a large push to mandate the vaccine in many states. Thankfully, it has not been. The series of three shots cost $360 ($120/per), plus, I would imagine, the doctor’s fee. California is considering mandating this, which would cost 90 million dollars for tax payers. The vaccine is approved for girls aged 9-26.
Just food for thought. Please discuss this with other parents. I do not want to give my daughter this vaccine when Scientific American has reported that yearly vaginal checkups will catch and stop any cancer that the vaccine prevents. Also, HPV is considered an STD that can be combated with condoms. Please research this further. Abstinence Clearinghouse is a good site for research. Another, Judicial Watch, has links to the actual VAERS reports. One report actually includes death by thrombosis and another, the detachment of the optical nerve along with paralysis from the chest down.
My question is: how safe is something like this and why aren’t we told that these reactions are happening? Under 2,000 adverse reactions may not be “much” to a company’s bottom line and reputation (Merck is the same company settling the billions dollar lawsuit concerning their product Vioxx, a pain drug which caused heart attacks in people who had no prior heart problems or family history of them) but any adverse reactions constitute a reason to inform the consumer doesn’t it? Apparently not.


Pass it along. Advertising should not sell us death.

[crystal2006]

I Think If You Know That You Or Daughter May Become Sexual Active, Should Get The Vaccine, Why Be Stuck With (hpv) That Causes Gential Warts, And Suffer. All Medcines Has There Side Effect(s). Name One That Doesnt.

[gorgeousmom]

Yikes! I'm for a less medicated country. Anything with death as a side-effect should definitely be pulled from the shelves.

[Galikian]

HPV comes in different strands, one that causes genital warts and one that causes cervical cancer. I have the type that causes cervical cancer. HPV, the cervical cancer kind, is not sexual transmitted so getting the vaccine just because of sexual activity isn't the answer. Plus, I read that the vaccine isn't 100% effective.

[winslowtribe]

I JUST THINK ITS SCARY THAT VACCIONATIONS OF ANY KIND or becoming more and more mandatory as the parent to my child I feel it's my responsibility to decide what my children get and when they get it, if at all. Would I give this to my daughter no!!! But I feel medications are over used, over priced and under tested. I agree with gorgeousmom I'm for a less medicated country also!!!!!

[emmasmommie]

I personally chose to get the Gardasil Vaccine myself. I do get regular check ups, but I felt that this vaccine was something that I needed to do. "About 11,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and about 3,700 die per year of the disease. In October 2007, the conservative group Judicial Watch reports that the known total numbers of adverse reactions is 3,461 including eleven deaths since FDA approval. Previous to that an FDA spokesperson stated that these deaths are not related to the vaccine, and occurred independently of vaccination." I got this from Wikipedia - under Gardasil. I didn't have a bad reaction the the vaccine at all. I think it's wonderful. It gives us a chance to prevent ourselves from cervical cancer, and possibly one day lower the number of deaths overall from cervical cancer. The HPV Virus is not always sexually transmitted, you cannot prevent it just by using condoms, having sex isn't required to get the virus. Any contact with the gential area can give you HPV. HPV is easily transmitted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 20 million people in the United States are currently infected with HPV. The VAERS website says "it is important to note that for any reported event, no cause and effect relationship has been established". Women who developed probelms after receiving the vaccine probably had other health problems that their doctor should have noticed and should have not allowed them to get the vaccine. I'm happy I got the vaccine.

[oasisannie]

I am very suspicious about the whole "gardasil" issue. The first state to mandate the vaccine was Texas, and it turns out that the governor has direct ties to the pharmaceutical company, Merck, that makes the drug. Here's the link to the story. My daughters are only 5 and 2, but I'll be keeping a very close eye on this issue.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/02/health/main2427919.shtml

[KiwiMum]

At age 18 my mother made me promise to have full gynae checks once a year, after she found a lump in her breast (benign fortunately). And I did. 3 1/2 years ago, I was called back to the doctors office and (to cut a long story short) told I had HPV, and abnormal cells. Eventually, 2 months later, I had a hysterectomy after they found CIN3 cells. My daughter is 11 in few months time and I will let them lock me up before I allow her to get a potentially dangerous drug. Gardasil and it's cousin DON'T protect against all cervical cancers anyway! How much better is it to teach her to be safe, and vigilante - I shall teach her to visit her gynae once a year, just like my my mother taught me.

[shannabrownallen]

Visiting the gyno once a year will not prevent HPV, in many cases it won't even detect it. Plus you can preach abstinance all you want but it doesn't take sex to contract this. I agree that you should always do research on the drugs to choose to give your children but don't be naive in thinking that a conversation with your children will keep them safe. Plus keep in mind that annual testing at the doc, while important, is not regular enough to catch this disease early. Think about how much your life changed each year of your childhood, don't you think that they could contract something in the mean time? I have HPV and I wish that they had an option like this for me when I was a child. I was not permiscuous or unsafe, but I still became infected. Even being in a serious, long term relationship will not prevent it b/c men are carriers but often have no symptoms what so ever! Since being diagnosed I have to have paps every 3 to 6 months, I have had multiple corrective/preventative surgeries and I live with the fear that every abnormal feeling or pain in my vagina is cancer! Do you really want your daughters to live their lives like that? Keep in mind that a number of the vaccines that are routinely given to our children were controversial at first and the Hep B vaccine is for the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease. Do your research but don't allow your ignorance and overreactions to harm the wellfare of your children!

[kfiedler]

I asked my Dr about the vaccine, unfortunatly you can't get it while nursing (which I was) I was the age where it cut off. I wasn't going to stop nursing so I missed my window. Cervical cancer runs in my family. My dr. said that I will probably be able to get the vacc, within the next 5 years. The cut off age is 27. I agree crystal2006 anything you take can create a side effect. You have to decide though if it right for you.

[ra11en]

I've had the HPV that causes cervical cancer and spent 3 years fighting it. From abnormal pap results to a surgery to remove the top layers of my cervix. The surgery may or may not have been the cause of me having premature labor. Even before the HPV, the doc said I would have a hard time carrying a baby to term due to my small frame. Even with all the issues and hard times, I still will NOT allow my daughter to get this vaccine when she is of age. I will teach her in ways my mother did not know to teach me, and I will help her to be responsible. If she decides to get the vaccine, I will support her in that choice, but I will not force her to get a vaccine that may or may not be helpful and in fact could seriously harm her. I don't mean to minimize cervical cancer, but with all the other vaccines I have to get for her I choose not to add another when cervical cancer is one of the few cancers when caught in time is almost always cureable. Cervical cancer does not run in my family, and although I've had abnormal cells that probably would have become cancerous, I know from my experience that by being responsible it can be prevented from getting that far. I already put so much into my daughters system to prevent deadly illnesses like polio and small pox, I just can't bring myself to add more when there are alternatives. But, I also strongly feel it is up to the individual parent/family and should NOT be mandated. In TX our gov mandated this vaccine to children as young as 11!!!! There was an uprising from citizens and the gov had to repeal the mandate.

[KiwiMum]

I am not ignorant or naive, and this has nothing to do with abstinence or promiscuity. I think you've missed my point - visiting a doctor annually will increase the chance of catching anything amiss early enough to be dealt with (and that would include breast lumps etc). I am just not prepared to use my child as a guinea pig before any long-term studies have been carried out by independent researchers! Even some doctors are questioning the safety of this vaccine. I agree that many of our "common" vaccines were controversial at first, but with this many reported side-effects, and no long-term studies, why risk it? How horrific would it feel if we rushed into embracing some "miracle" vaccine against the dreaded "C", only to find in 10/15 years that we had damaged our daughters in some way? In the meantime, yes, my daughter may be subject to her hormones, but she can at least be made aware of the dangers and get checked out regularly. Prevention is always better than cure, I know, but early detection is the next best thing if the cure is a potential killer.

[sjbelli]

Its a difficult decision to make as a parent. We're fed with propaganda telling us to do the "right" thing for our children and are given little, if any information about any potential side effects of vaccines, drugs, etc. I'm not all that familiar with this vaccine as I was too old and my daughter is too young. However, I can tell you that I have also twice battled "pre-cancerous" cervical cells that had to be removed in a surgical procedure. This was found during my routine pap smear and I have never been diagnosed with HPV and reviewed all of my medical records when I transferred from my GYN to the OB/GYN for verification. Unfortunately, this "wonder vaccine" won't be able to protect everyone.

[ra11en]

shannabrownallen - visiting the gyn may not prevent HPV or any other STD, but if it is not being detected then you need to find another gyn. My gyn detected 'abnormal cells' long before HPV was established, and he caught the HPV almost immediately. I had to have paps every few months for about 3 years. He informed me then, long before HPV became so discussed and certainly long before a vaccine was available, that HPV was in fact an STD that would begin being discussed in health books and educational programs which is exactly what has happened. It is surprising how many women have HPV of some form because we just didn't know about it or were taught about it until recently. Our gyn can and should detect the slightest abnormality and begin treatment, not prevention. Prevention comes first from us parents in how we raise our children and instruct them to be responsible adults, and it then comes from our own children as they become adults and are faced with adult decisions. I am counting on my INTELLIGENCE and WISDOM to guide me into NOT giving my daughter a drug that has serious side effects and yet no cause/effect relationship has been established. Maybe by the time my daughter is faced with this same choice she can have data to review and research that she can read that will guide her to give my granddaughter this vaccine. Do not call parents/women, that have battled the same battles you have, ignorant just because our experience or intuition has caused us to take a different approach. I choose to see that I went through all that and made it, I became more educated, I have the family I always wanted, and my faith in Him has never been shaken - even when we lost precious gifts along the way. I find it offensive that you would say we are overreacting to a point of harming our children - you seem to have more of a knee jerk reaction than those of us that have chosen not to administer the vaccine. It is up to every parent to make the decision that is right for them and their family, and I honestly don't feel as though there is a wrong or a right choice. But we need not begin admonishing others and insulting other women/parent that are of a different opinion. That is how big drug companies try to advertise and it is entirely empirical and nonsensical.

[alwndh]

my sister-in-law found out that she had HPV and now she is going to have a second surgery. She was not able to get the vaccines but in any case I am not sure if she would have since it never ran in her family. Now on the other hand my aunt did get the shots because it did run in the family and she did not have a bad reaction. She was happy to had gotten them. I am not sure you really need to get them because I know you should always get your yearly exam. So I will agree with some of the others and say that it is always up to the people or for children it will and should always be up to the parents.

[shonda]

I am happy to see that I am not the only one with hang ups about this vaccine. Our children get so many vaccines, more than when I was a kid. I remember staying home from school with the chickenpox for a week as did everyone else I knew. It was uncomfortable, but I loved not going to school! Now its in the series of vaccine children have to get before entering school. It used to be a that if someone had a cold they would take antibiotics, then we found that antibiotics can't fight viruses. There used to be infant medication for colds, but then they said its not effective or good for children under 2 I think. There are advertisements on tv all the time calling for the attention of those who have taken a certain medication and have experienced severe side effects. We are still learning about what our bodies need, how they react to certain things in some "normal instances" and what helps them do the jobs that they were made to do. We have to weigh the pros and cons, look at our medical histories, and go with our gut feelings on certain things and if it is not neccessary don't get it. That's my view of it. And as for the Gardasil, my daughters will be nine this year and I'm not going to make them get it. When they are older we can talk about it and let them do the research for themselves and if it hasn't been recalled by then, and they want to get it they can. But like I said they have to do research not just look at these catchy commercials that advertise medication as if they are all inclusive vacations. But I won't talk about the commercials right now, that is another issue on its own!

[momofaprincess]

my sister, recently had a hysterectomy, and in the process the Dr. saw that she had cervical cancer, the problem is that she had a pap recently, and nothing showed up abnormal because the cancer was to high up on her cervix. This is a scary thought knowing that the pap didn't even show that anything was wrong.

A few years ago i had an abnormal pap, and had to have surgery to remove the pre-cancerous cells. After my sister found out that she had cancer, that didn't show up from a pap, it scares me into thinking of the possibility that maybe the Dr. didn't remove all of the pre- cancer cells after all.

even though having cervical cancer runs in my family, i don't think i would give my daughter this shot, because of the fact, that it is a relatively new and we don't know the long term effects it will have. every day it seems like something that people use often is being said to be harmful. Now studies are even showing that plastic is harmful, not only for us, but harmful for our children's children, just because we eat food out of the plastic container. I just think that alot more research needs to be done, before we choose to inject anything into our bodies.

[Cynister]

gorgeousmom while I agree with you that if Death is a side-effect we shouldn't have the drug, the Pill causes death & there's no way we're getting rid of that. Think of it though, if wearing a condom could kill a man they would be banned instantly. I'm comtemplating getting the shots, I still don't know. I have 3 years before I surpass the age limit & I have atleast 12-16 years before I need to think about my daughter getting it, hopefully by then there'll be improvements or something.

[lc30003]

I can only tell you our experience........this is the abbreviated version. My daughter is 16 and has had what may very likely be a reaction to the Gardasil shot. I think you should weigh your daughter's lifestyle choices before you choose to vaccinate her. Four days after my daughter was vaccinated, her hips began to hurt. By the next day all of her major joints began to hurt to the point where she could not get up. She ran a fever of 100.5 to 103.5, always worse from 5pm to 4am. She had a fever, rash, sore throat, and continued joint pain and swelling (all of which randomly appeared and dissappeared) for weeks until they started her on prednisone. We saw her pediatrician, an infectious disease specialist, and a rheumatologist/immunologist. Add a gastroenterologist to that list because it may have also initiated Crohn's disease, another autoimmune disease. The best guess right now is that she has inflammatory systemic arthritis (Still's disease) brought on by the Gardasil shot. She now gives herself a daily shot of Kineret which has brought most of her abnormal blood tests to normal and is allowing her to begin returning to her normal life after 8 weeks of illness. I share this because I hope others that react to the vaccine will be helped through Kineret.....it has been a life saver for my daughter. My doctor is now reporting this. While I am sure it is helping far more girls than it hurts, it needs not be given to every girl.

[sarahstrand]

You may be eligible to participate in a research study. We would like to know about your opinions on and experience with human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix). The study includes a survey an optional telephone interview.

To qualify for this study, you must:
(1) Be female
(2) Be between ages 18 and 26
(3) Live in the United States
(4) Have experienced a “serious adverse event” (side effect) you believe to be the result of the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine. This includes:
- Life-threatening conditions
- Hospitalization
- Disability or permanent physical damage
- Birth defects
- Conditions requiring medical treatment or surgery
- Conditions that do not require medical treatment or surgery now but may in the future to avoid one of the above outcomes

To participate in the survey, visit: www.SurveyMonkey.com/HpvGardasilCervarix

This study is sponsored by the University of Arizona Department of Sociology. Please contact the Principal Investigator, Sarah Strand, at sstrand@email.arizona.edu for more information.