It is a modern-day tragedy that millions of women in the U.S. have been scared by Merck’s powerful ad campaign to become “one less” victim to cervical cancer by getting vaccinated with Gardasil. Sadly, now an increasing number of formerly healthy girls are turning into “one more” victim of vaccine adverse reactions.

There have been a total of 47 deaths linked to Gardasil since it was brought to market in 2006, according to a press release issued by Judicial Watch, which says it has obtained records from the FDA. In 2008 alone 28 women and girls died after receiving Gardasil injections (up from 19 deaths in 2007).

In all the FDA documented 6,723 adverse events related to Gardasil in 2008, of which 1,061 were considered "serious," and 142 considered "life threatening,” the group reported.

Further, as Barbara Loe Fisher reported, by the summer of 2009 Gardasil had already caused more than 15,000 reports of vaccine reactions, including more than 3,000 injuries and 48 deaths.

However, it’s estimated that only between 1 percent and 10 percent of vaccine adverse events are ever reported, which means there could actually be anywhere from 150,000 to 1.5 million vaccine injuries related to Gardasil.

Get the Facts, Not the Fear

Merck has convinced millions of girls to get vaccinated with Gardasil by instilling in them a fear of the sexually transmitted disease human papilloma virus, or HPV. While it’s true that many women get HPV, and in a small number of cases HPV can progress to cervical cancer, this fear-mongering is only revealing a select assortment of facts.

Merck would like you to hear that 6 million women contract HPV annually -- but they do not tell you that most of those cases are harmless. Your body can clear up HPV on its own, and does so more than 90 percent of the time!

At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives, according to the National Prevention Information Network (NPIN). Most often, the infection causes no symptoms at all, and is easily cleared up by your immune system.

Even the National Cancer Institute says:

"It is important to note, however, that the great majority of high-risk HPV infections go away on their own and do not cause cancer."

In some cases the infection can result in genital warts, and much less often, cervical and other genital cancers. But cervical cancer actually claims less than 3,900 women a year -- most of which are due to not getting regular Pap smears.

So before you even think about getting vaccinated with Gardasil (or having your daughter vaccinated), realize that it’s for a virus that clears up on its own 90 percent of the time.

 

Further, this infection is sexually transmitted. It is not some big bad hairy virus that will cause you any harm if you are leading a healthy lifestyle. It is 100 percent preventable through lifestyle choices. Talking to your kids about HPV, and how it’s transmitted, is therefore the first step to prevention.

You should also know that Gardasil does not protect against all types of HPV, and you can still get cervical cancer even if you’ve been vaccinated. As the CDC states:

“About 30% of cervical cancers will not be prevented by the vaccine.”

Of course, you will also want to know that the safety of Gardasil has never been proven. As the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) writes:

“Even though Gardasil was only tested on about a thousand young girls before licensure in 2006, CDC officials told doctors to give three doses of the vaccine to millions of little girls at a cost averaging $165 per dose.

Because Merck did not test Gardasil in pre-licensure clinical trials in combination with all other vaccines routinely given to pre-teen and teenage girls, the CDC suggested that safety could be assumed and directed that Gardasil be given simultaneously with other vaccines.”

What this all boils down to is that Gardasil is largely ineffective, potentially very dangerous and a major waste of money.

Take Action Now … Before Merck Comes After Your Sons Too!

Global sales of Gardasil topped $2 billion in 2008, but that’s not enough for Merck. In an effort to expand their vaccine sales, Merck just recently filed for FDA approval to use Gardasil for boys as well as girls!

So it appears the word has not yet gotten out about the serious risks of this virtually unnecessary vaccine. If you like, you can read several stories on NVIC’s Web site of women and girls who have been seriously injured, and in some cases died, shortly after receiving this vaccine, including:

• Christina Tarsell, a 21-year-old college student majoring in studio arts at Bard College, who died suddenly and without explanation shortly after receiving the third Gardasil shot in June 2008.

• Gabrielle a 15-year-old former gymnast and cheerleader who can no longer attend school and is suffering from severe headaches, heart problems and seizures since getting the vaccine. She has been diagnosed with Inflammation of the Central Nervous System as a result of a Gardasil vaccine reaction, and her condition continues to deteriorate.

• Megan, a 20-year-old college student who died suddenly, without explanation, about one month after receiving her third Gardasil shot. No cause of death was found.

• Ashley, a 16-year-old who became chronically ill after receiving Gardasil, and now suffers regular life-threatening episodes of seizure-like activity, difficulty breathing, back spasms, paralysis, dehydration, memory loss and tremors.

NVIC is currently petitioning President Barack Obama and Congress on behalf of families to investigate Gardasil vaccine deaths and serious injuries like these. If you agree that these, and countless other cases like them, sound like more than a “coincidence,” please sign the Petition to Investigate Gardasil Vaccine Risks Now!

Also, if you or your child has received a Gardasil vaccine, it is important that you know how to recognize Gardasil vaccine reaction symptoms like:

• Fainting
• Seizures
• Numbness & tingling
• Pain & weakness

• Hair loss
• Rashes
• Extreme fatigue
• Other health problems

If you notice any of these symptoms, seek out the help of knowledgeable natural health care practitioner immediately and also be sure to file a vaccine reaction report at NVIC.org.