But now the girl, who was always full of youthful energy just wants to sleep, said her father. She is lethargic. It hurts her to walk. She has dizzy spells and shortness of breath, and has even blacked out, said Graham.
The medical testing to pinpoint the source of her problems continues, but the concerned father said Internet blogs and petition sites are full of messages from parents with similar stories. There are reports of thrombosis, blood clots, strokes and seizures that they believe are related to the vaccine.
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The targeted HPV infections cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, according to the FDA. In the U.S. about 12,000 women are diagnosed, and nearly 4,000 die annually from the disease, according to the CDC.
Gardasil, made by Merck, given in a series of three injections over a period of six months, is widely recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls who are not yet sexually active. It is also recommended for females between 13 and 26 years of age, and can even be given to girls as young as 9 years of age, according to the CDC.
Graham said the vaccine is not worth the risk.
The number of girls whose lives are adversely affected by the drug is far more than the number that might be saved by the vaccinations, and there are other simple ways, such as regular check ups and screenings, to prevent cervical cancer, he said.
Gardasil was evaluated and licensed, in just six months, by the FDA and approved as “safe and effective” by the CDC in 2006. A government advisory panel even recommended that all girls get the shots.
Since then, states have considered, and even tried, making Gardasil mandatory. And the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did make the vaccination a requirement for young women seeking citizenship.
By Dec. 31, 2008, more than 23 million doses of Gardasil had been distributed in the United States, according to the CDC.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System had received almost 12,000 reports of adverse events following use of the vaccine. That number includes 32 deaths in the U.S.
But the CDC says 94 percent of the reported adverse events were considered non-serious, such as fainting or pain and swelling at the injection site, and experts have not found a common medical pattern in the six percent that were considered serious that would suggest that they were caused by the vaccine.
Both the CDC and FDA continue to monitor, but recommend, Gardasil.
Graham does not.
He has a hurt and haunted look as he works feverishly to find out what has happened to, and what can now be done for, his child. He feels certain the vaccine is to blame.
Graham warns parents to not act on the recommendations without doing their own research first.
He said he wishes someone had given him the same advice before his daughter got the shots.
Comments
Roberta wrote on May 20, 2009 4:10 PM:
Will M.S wrote on Mar 18, 2009 11:23 PM:
Maxwell wrote on Mar 18, 2009 7:04 PM:
DT wrote on Mar 17, 2009 9:10 PM:
Will wrote on Mar 17, 2009 8:29 PM:
Mickey Graham wrote on Mar 17, 2009 5:45 AM:
Plus now they say it will prevant other medical problems caused by HPV virus.
All I'm saying is get the facts about Gardasil from people who have had the shots and facts about the HPV virus. It doesn't stop all kinds of cervical cancers. "
Will wrote on Mar 16, 2009 10:17 PM:
Jo Ann wrote on Mar 16, 2009 1:28 PM:
Mickey Graham wrote on Mar 16, 2009 12:25 PM: