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Michele Bachmann, Meet Dr. Diane Harper, Lead Researcher for Gardasil Vaccine

Jessica's Gravestone

(Photo is the gravestone of Miss Jessica Erickson who died following Gardasil vaccination. Her story "Guinea Pig" is one of the media articles mentioned below. We've been in contact with her family in the past, her Mom is a warrior in the name of her child.   And we show her gravestone not be macabre, but as a stark reminder that HPV vaccination is not without risk.)

By J.B. Handley

We all know that AoA is no place to discuss our politics. The parents reading this blog are unified in their commitment to one issue, and that’s autism.

At this point, I’m nearly a single-issue voter, and Michelle Bachmann has certainly done our community a huge favor by publicly discussing the well-known risks from receiving the Gardasil vaccine. Taken from a post back in December 2009, here are just a few of the hundreds of headlines out there about Gardasil:

October 29, 2007, UK Telegraph:
Cervical cancer drug Gardasil linked to deaths  
Fears have been raised over the safety of a cervical cancer vaccine which health officials plan to give all 12-year-old girls, after it was revealed that the drug has been linked to several deaths. Three young women are reported to have died days after the drug Gardasil was administered, while the jab is also suspected of triggering "adverse reactions" in 1,700 patients. The figures were uncovered by campaigners who made a freedom of information request in the US, where the vaccine was approved for use a year ago…
 

January 25, 2008, UK Daily Mail: 

Alert over jab for girls as two die following cervical cancer vaccination

A jab that could be given to hundreds of thousands of schoolgirls this autumn was at the centre at a safety scare last night following the deaths of two young women…

February 6, 2008, East Bay Express:

One Less

In early 2007, as the pharmaceutical giant Merck began promoting its new vaccine Gardasil as protection against cervical cancer, Brooke Petkevicius was a nineteen-year-old freshman at UC Berkeley. She had seen the ads for the vaccine, and discussed getting it with her mother, whose gynecologist also had recommended it. On March 12, Brooke received the first of three doses. Two weeks later, she dressed to go running with a friend. As they reached the elevator, Brooke suddenly collapsed against the wall and had a seizure.

June 30, 2008, WorldNet Daily

Death toll linked to Gardasil vaccine rises Complications include shock, 'foaming at mouth,' convulsions, coma  

"Given all the questions about Gardasil, the best public health policy would be to re-evaluate its safety and to prohibit its distribution to minors. In the least, governments should rethink any efforts to mandate or promote this vaccine for children,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. The organization's work uncovered reports of about one death each month since last fall, bringing the total death toll from the drug to at least 18 and as many as 20. There also were 140 "serious" reports of complications including about three dozen classified as life-threatening, 10 spontaneous abortions and half a dozen cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

July 20, 2008, New York Post:

My Girl Died As Guinea Pig For Gardasil

Run by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has collected 8,000 reports of problems after Gardasil shots, including paralysis, seizures and miscarriages.

Seventeen other deaths following the vaccine have been reported since Merck & Co. introduced it in 2006…Officials have confirmed 11 of the reported deaths so far, said CDC spokesman Curtis Allen…Lisa Ericzon now feels her daughter was "a guinea pig" for Gardasil, and is urging parents to research the vaccine before letting their daughters get it.

"I want other mothers to know," said Lisa, the first parent of a girl who died after Gardasil to speak publicly.

July 26, 2008, Medscape:

HPV Vaccine Adverse Events Worrisome Says Key Investigator

Serious neurologic, thromboembolic, and autoimmune complications have been reported in patients who received human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Although not the norm, experts suggest that the events are grave enough to encourage caution. "The side effects that have been reported are real and they cannot be brushed aside," Diane Harper, MD, from the Dartmouth Medical School, in Hanover, New Hampshire, told Medscape Oncology. Dr. Harper was a principal investigator of clinical HPV vaccine trials for both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline…

August 17, 2008, Canberra Times (Australia): 

Cancer jab linked to pancreas disease

The cervical cancer vaccine is under fresh scrutiny after three women were struck down with pancreatitis soon after receiving the injection.

February 6, 2009, CBS Evening News:

New Worries About Gardasil Safety

Gabby Swank was a straight-A student and cheerleader. But that was before she became very ill following the standard dose of three Gardasil vaccinations, Attkisson reports. "It was like a big hype among my friends, because we're like, 'we're gonna get it' because we felt almost pressured by the commercials," Gabby said. Gabby got sicker after each shot, progressing to seizures, strokes and heart problems. It was her neurologist who suspected Gardasil was to blame. "I think there are too many people having serious long-term side-effects," said neurologist Dr. Dwight Lindholm.

February 13, 2009, Agence France-Presse:

Spain withdraws cervical cancer shot after illnesses

MADRID (AFP) — Spanish health authorities have withdrawn tens of thousands of doses of a vaccine against cervical cancer after two teenagers who received the shots were hospitalised, regional authorities said on Tuesday…

August 18, 2009, WCBV-TV Boston (ABC):

Adverse Events Linked To HPV Vaccine Adverse Events Linked To HPV Vaccine

“When it came on the market more than three years ago, Gardasil was widely touted and marketed as the first vaccine that might prevent cancer. …Now the Journal of the American Medical Association has published a compilation of the more than 10,000 complaints reported to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) since June 2006 when Gardasil was granted FDA approval…VAERS records show that there was an average of 53.9 reports per 100,000 vaccine doses distributed. Six percent were serious, including 32 deaths. Merck, the company that makes Gardasil, stands by its safety and effectiveness.”

August 19, 2009

Gardasil Researcher Speaks Out

October 9, 2009, UK Daily Mail:

NHS Trust suspends cervical cancer vaccinations after girl, 14, dies within hours of jab

“An NHS trust today suspended all cervical cancer vaccinations after a 14-year-old girl died hours after being given the vaccine…”

October 15, 2009, Kansas Liberty:

Wichita mom blames HPV vaccine for her daughter's terminal illness

Shannon Schrag, a Wichita mother who says her teen now suffers from a terminal illness due to receiving the Gardasil vaccination, spoke at the conference, which was held in Washington, D.C. Schrag’s daughter, Gabi Swank, 16, was diagnosed with central nervous system vasculitis and central nervous system lupus after receiving the third Gardasil injection. Gabi’s neurologist, Dr. Dwight Lindholm, has publicly stated that he believes Gabi’s illness is the direct result of receiving the Gardasil injections.

October 16, 2009, WebMD Health News:

2 ALS Cases May Be Linked to Gardasil Vaccine

“Researchers believe that there may be a link between a vaccine against cervical cancer and a rapidly progressive, fatal disease in two young women.”

October 17, 2009, Cape Cod Times:

Cape teens: HPV vaccine made them sick

“It's been months since dancer and former gymnast Nicole Goodman of Pocasset has been able to do a forward jazz slide or a kick ball change move…The 18-year-old fell ill weeks after receiving her third Gardasil shot, and she blames the vaccine for the human papillomavirus for putting her in a wheelchair.”

*         *         *

If all those reports aren’t to make any vaccine-trusting parent worried, than certainly the words of Diane Harper are, from CBS News:

Gardasil Researcher Speaks Out

By Sharyl Attkisson

(CBS)  Amid questions about the safety of the HPV vaccine Gardasil one o the lead researchers for the Merck drug is speaking out about its risks, benefits and aggressive marketing.

Dr. Diane Harper says young girls and their parents should receive more complete warnings before receiving the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. Dr. Harper helped design and carry out the Phase II and Phase III safety and effectiveness studies to get Gardasil approved, and authored many of the published, scholarly papers about it. She has been a paid speaker and consultant to Merck. It's highly unusual for a researcher to publicly criticize a medicine or vaccine she helped get approved.

Dr. Harper joins a number of consumer watchdogs, vaccine safety advocates, and parents who question the vaccine's risk-versus-benefit profile. She says data available for Gardasil shows that it lasts five years; there is no data showing that it remains effective beyond five years.

This raises questions about the CDC's recommendation that the series of shots be given to girls as young as 11-years old. "If we vaccinate 11 year olds and the protection doesn't last... we've put them at harm from side effects, small but real, for no benefit," says Dr. Harper. "The benefit to public health is nothing, there is no reduction in cervical cancers, they are just postponed, unless the protection lasts for at least 15 years, and over 70% of all sexually active females of all ages are vaccinated." She also says that enough serious side effects have been reported after Gardasil use that the vaccine could prove riskier than the cervical cancer it purports to prevent. Cervical cancer is usually entirely curable when detected early through normal Pap screenings.

Dr. Scott Ratner and his wife, who's also a physician, expressed similar concerns as Dr. Harper in an interview with CBS News last year. One of their teenage daughters became severely ill after her first dose of Gardasil. Dr. Ratner says she'd have been better off getting cervical cancer than the vaccination. "My daughter went from a varsity lacrosse player at Choate to a chronically ill, steroid-dependent patient with autoimmune myofasciitis. I've had to ask myself why I let my eldest of three daughters get an unproven vaccine against a few strains of a nonlethal virus that can be dealt with in more effective ways."

Merck and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain Gardasil is safe and effective, and that adequate warnings are provided, cautioning about soreness at the injection site and risk of fainting after vaccination. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found while the overall risk of side effects appears to be comparable to other vaccines, Gardasil has a higher incidence of blood clots reported. Merck says it continues to have confidence in Gardasil's safety profile. Merck also says it's looking into cases of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, reported after vaccination. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Merck and the CDC say there is currently no evidence that Gardasil caused ALS in the cases reported. Merck is also monitoring the number of deaths reported after Gardasil: at least 32. Merck and CDC says it's unclear whether the deaths were related to the vaccine, and that just because patients died after the shots doesn't mean the shots were necessarily to blame.

According to Dr. Harper, assessing the true adverse event risk of Gardasil, and comparing it to the risk of cervical cancer can be tricky and complex. "The number of women who die from cervical cancer in the US every year is small but real. It is small because of the success of the Pap screening program."

"The risks of serious adverse events including death reported after Gardasil use in (the JAMA article by CDC's Dr. Barbara Slade) were 3.4/100,000 doses distributed. The rate of serious adverse events on par with the death rate of cervical cancer. Gardasil has been associated with at least as many serious adverse events as there are deaths from cervical cancer developing each year. Indeed, the risks of vaccination are underreported in Slade's article, as they are based on a denominator of doses distributed from Merck's warehouse. Up to a third of those doses may be in refrigerators waiting to be dispensed as the autumn onslaught of vaccine messages is sent home to parents the first day of school. Should the denominator in Dr. Slade's work be adjusted to account for this, and then divided by three for the number of women who would receive all three doses, the incidence rate of serious adverse events increases up to five fold. How does a parent value that information," said Harper.

Dr. Harper agrees with Merck and the CDC that Gardasil is safe for most girls and women. But she says the side effects reported so far call for more complete disclosure to patients. She says they should be told that protection from the vaccination might not last long enough to provide a cancer protection benefit, and that its risks - "small but real" - could occur more often than the cervical cancer itself would.

"Parents and women must know that deaths occurred. Not all deaths that have been reported were represented in Dr. Slade's work, one-third of the death reports were unavailable to the CDC, leaving the parents of the deceased teenagers in despair that the CDC is ignoring the very rare but real occurrences that need not have happened if parents were given information stating that there are real, but small risks of death surrounding the administration of Gardasil."

She also worries that Merck's aggressive marketing of the vaccine may have given women a false sense of security. "The future expectations women hold because they have received free doses of Gardasil purchased by philanthropic foundations, by public health agencies or covered by insurance is the true threat to cervical cancer in the future. Should women stop Pap screening after vaccination, the cervical cancer rate will actually increase per year. Should women believe this is preventive for all cancers - something never stated, but often inferred by many in the population-- a reduction in all health care will compound our current health crisis. Should Gardasil not be effective for more than 15 years, the most costly public health experiment in cancer control will have failed miserably."

CDC continues to recommend Gardasil for girls and young women. The agency says the vaccine's benefits outweigh its risks and that it is an important tool in fighting a serious cancer.

Dr. Harper says the risk-benefit analysis for Gardasil in other countries may shape up differently than what she believes is true in the US. "Of course, in developing countries where there is no safety Pap screening for women repeatedly over their lifetimes, the risks of serious adverse events may be acceptable as the incidence rate of cervical cancer is five to 12 times higher than in the US, dwarfing the risk of death reported after Gardasil."

Still looking for more on Gardasil? Check out this great report HERE by Judicial Watch.

J.B. Handley is co-founder of Generation Rescue.

Comments

Kacey Abston

many doctors suggest it's not but under the law they can't put that information out to the public, every symptom points straight to gardisil.

for Kacey

Kacey, I am so sorry for the ordeal you are going through. Have any doctors made the connection or have they just said its a coincidence?

When?

When is the Gardasil kick starter movie coming out? They said fall!

Kacey Abston

I am currently undergoing menopause at the age of 17. I was administered the Gardasil vaccination at the age of 12. I was given the first 2 vaccinations from the ages 12-15. During that time period I lost my periods and stopped producing hormones. A couple months after I received the vaccination after turning 17 my FSH levels sky rocketed and it was hopeless. This vaccination is no longer a joke or a game. My future my life has been altered my a series of 3 vaccinations. I am physically unable to have children. Not only that without naturally being able to produce hormones I will have to undergo series of hormone replacement that will affect me for the rest of my life. My gynecologist said its like being 50 but in a 17 year olds body. My life is forever changed by the vaccination that was administered to me. Without any warnings or serve side effects information my parents thought it would've been more of a helping vaccination than a vaccination that will forever take a toll on me.

Jenny Hatch

I put together seven videos on my blog mostly produced by Family Members detailing the DEATHS around the Gardasil Vaccine. http://jennyhatch.com/2011/09/13/gardasil-if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-then-a-video-report/

I also wrote an article for Blogging Mothers Magazine that details the many attempts made on my life as a Blogging Mother who began warning families about the Gardasil Vaccine before it even hit the market. I believe I have been protected by God these past few years as those tied to the Pharma Companies have attempted to silence my voice: http://bloggingmothersmagazine.com/2011/08/31/american-style-terrorism/

Jenny Hatch
http://WWW.JennyHatch.com

oneVoice

Benefits outweigh the risk? The benefits to Merck and the
stock-holders but NOT TO OUR CHILDREN.

Jeff C.

Last month, for the first time Perry admitted he made a mistake and should not have used an executive order for the mandate, but should have gone through the legislature. Today, Perry stated that it should not have been "opt out", but "opt in" (in other words, the parent's choice is the default case, not the government's choice).

Yet those shrieking in the media insist all "reasonable" people understand that Michelle Bachman is not only finished as a candidate but crazy to boot, the vaccine is safe and essential to good health, we must have vaccine mandates for our own good, only "experts" are entitled to an opinion on these things, and it is "irresponsible" for us lowly schmucks that don't wear a white smock to voice an opinion.

If the public truly believes that, why is Perry in full backpedal mode?

Andrew Wakefield was on the radio with Mike Adams from Natural News today. Towards the end of the conversation, Adams asked Dr. Wakefield how close we were to this whole stinking edifice crumbling down. Andy stated we were very close, the hysterical reaction to Michelle Bachman's comments made that clear. He's right, we're closer than we think.

HFAmomto3HFAgirls

I think all the smug gardasil vaccinating parents will be surprised to learn that all they've protected their daughters from is full term pregnancy.

It's a sterility shot.

Theresa O

Kendra, I think you're right about saying things the right way. Getting the message out in the right words can matter as much--at least, as far as the general public is concerned--as getting the message out at all.

However, I do think that the mainstream media is not necessarily in tune with likely Republican primary voters, many of whom support Ron Paul (check out his polling data--it's pretty strong, no matter how much the mainstream media wants to pretend it isn't), who is a big advocate of health freedom on a number of fronts (like supplements). I think the big victory here is that Perry is being shown up as the pharma wh*re he is. Anything (even a clumsily worded message from Bachmann) that helps to decrease Perry's chances of being the Republican nominee is a good thing, in my book.

Maybe the Bachmann HPV thing hasn't convinced the media or the general public that vaccines can be dangerous, but it has highlighted the issue of personal choice when it comes to medical decisions for healthy people. It's a step in the right direction.

Kendra Pettengill

I have been amazed at how many stories in print and on television in the last couple of days have said, "all that was shown to be fraudulent". So barely aware, writers, news agencies, reporters, and even Stewart and Colbert are now wrapping the Gardasil issue up with the MMR/vaccines/autism issue. They are not saying it right out, but the implication is there. To say this was all proven to be false is to mislead people that the Gardasil issue is one and the same/part and parcel with the other issues questioning the safety of vaccines. No one has followed up on nor done additional studies on Gardasil since approval studies were done, which included no one under the age of 16. Ignorant lay people lap it up as confirming what they have already heard in bits and pieces. And of course not a single reporter looks beyond the pharma talking points, but instead joins in the chorus that vaccines have been proven safe. Now, by the sheer fact that Gardasil is indeed a vaccine, and in their view vaccines have been proven safe,because Wakefield is believed fraudulent by mainstream media....well now Gardasil get a free pass. No mention of cervical lesions and abnormal pap smears in recipients too young to even be recomended to get a pap smear yet. No mention of life altering reactions or deaths. We have yet to see the infertility statistics on all these Guinea Pigs, and a little research shows that even the highest level experts around the world still cannot agree that HPV is even responsible for causing cancer in the first place. Suddenly the circular thinking swings back around and we actually hear on our televisions that Michelle Bachman is only for choice when it involves young girls getting cervical cancer. It is all so wrong in so many ways.
Part of the problem, of course, is Bachmans simple words and lack of ability to articulate it in a convincing and educated sounding way. She got the vaccine and developed mental retardation doesn't resonate well and opens her up for attack as an idiot. But, this young girl received Gardasil and had a negative reaction, declining in health, developing immune system problems, fevers, and a reaction common in vaccines called encephelopathy or brain swelling, which in turn caused brain damage resulting in reduced mental capacities and other health problems, would be a better way to put it. Still relating to everyday folks without sounding gullible and naieve.
When I see the reports, the defenders of this vaccine they know nothing about, the instant jump to protect all vaccines and lumping Gardasil into the mix, it is disoncerting to say the least. I fear we are losing the war for our children's health and that any one of those people would have no problem forcing vaccines on our kids against our will, because we just seem so stupid to them and I fear that Michelle Bachman did not do us all any favors. But it is also not a lost cause if she can be helped to sound more educated on the matter. I heard a lot of this same talk when Jenny McCarthy was "coming out" on Autism and vaccines, and she was so strong in her words that the "Wingnut" claims slowly disappeared until the only real negatives anyone could come up with were 1) She is a celebrity 2) she was a playboy bunny (not a negative in a lot of men's eyes) or 3) She is not a doctor or scientist. All three of those are a far cry from she's a "wingnut" which is unfortunately what many consider Bachman to be. Perhaps we can offer up someone to educate her on these issues during the campaign. JB have you made yourself available?

barbaraj

It's true, no one with political sense would have gone after the sacred cow, she's a nice lady, and if I were heading for a rapture she'd be my candidate, however, I'm hoping for a future. I think the damage control teams last night were hideous with their lies, parents should know the available statistics, even if followed by, "it can't be proven to have caused these disabilities or these deaths, however it was given to these damaged recipients and MUST BE factored in."

Marie

Is there anyway we can get Michele Bachmann to speak with NVIC.org? I mean, Barbara Loe Fisher could school her on all the VAERS, the stats on children's health, etc. I like that Bachmann is all about freedom of choice -- I, like her, don't want to be told what kind of light bulbs I can use -- especially dangerous ineffective and expensive ones that do NOT save you money and only contaminate the environment. The Government has no right to force us to vaccinate ourselves or our children. Heard immunity is a lie --- vaccines wear off and most adults don't get boosters so there is not a high percentage of immunity.

Sarah

Drs. Snyderman and Schaffner were on the national news doing damage control for the drug industry saying things like HPV vaccine is "wonderfully safe". Amazing how doctors can get away with telling outright lies to the public and noone challenges them. I kept hoping Brian Williams would confront Snyderman with a story of a Gardisil victim but of course that's fantasy talk.

Theresa O

We don't have to think Bachmann is the best Republican candidate to think that her bringing up Perry's HPV faux pas was a good thing. It got Perry's views on forced medication onto the radar of Republicans likely to vote in the primaries--and if that makes it less likely that Perry will be the Republican nominee, then it's a good thing.

Benedetta

Riley's mom I love you, I love your comments - but it has been going on here in my neck of the woods for three whole decades and my patience has run out. I tired of having to drop my head, put my eyes on the floor and submit in front of a doctor because I gently tried to ask a question and make a point - to actually get some help; only to have his wraith upon me. Give me someone and I will vote for them regardless of all else. Because I think the human race here in America just might be coming slowly to the end.

Not Michele's friend

A favor? If she had said Gardasil could cause paralysis, damage to the nervous system and death, that would be one thing - but "mental retardation?" - which, BTW, is an outdated term. All she has done is create a platform for the pharmaceutical companies and made anyone who questions the vaccine look like a fringe element. I was thinking the drug companies could have paid for the publicity she gave them! I bet a whole lot of people who had been putting off the vaccine are lining up now. Way to go Michele!

gwh

All of you criticizing Michelle Bachman should remember one important thing: SHE IS NOT A PART OF THE POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT! You should take her seriously for that reason alone. She is a pure spirit. Even Jesus got mad at the hypocrites in the temple.

Walter  Constantine

I would like to ask everybody out here to E-mail MSNBC, R. Maddow, and some of the other evening shows and ask them to come to AOA and read these articles and look into this and get the REAL FACTS and just not go along with what the Drug Co.s are telling them.
We must let them know children are being harmed by this and other vaccines.
Thank you

cynthia parker

The HPV vaccine can cause mental retardation because it, like all vaccines, can trigger an encephalitic reaction, and the brain damage caused by the encephalitis can manifest as autism, mental retardation, and/or a seizure disorder.

Doodle

@ Brandonsmom

That's actually a fascinating point. When giving B12, the instructions have been to give the shot at an angle so that it enters in the subcutaneous tissue for a slow release. I wonder if those are the instructions, in general, for adjuvanted shots also. It would make sense then, if athletic girls were improperly administered Gardasil shots. Same goes for kids, and I can especially see pediatric nurses simply shooting directly into the muscle of their screaming victims instead of following any protocol. Combine that with their lack of shaking the bottles and taking a pull from the pool of mercury at the bottom...

Jen

Kristine- "I hope she got the Republicans/conservatives thinking about the mandates and parental choice." I can tell you that a lot of Huffpo commenters in a recent piece on this, mentioned exactly that issue, regardless of how they felt about the vaccine or Ms. Bachmann. That was nice to see.

Brandonsmom

I want to say one more thing. I was watching Dr. Mercola interview Dr. Ayoub in regard to the aluminum adjuvant and apparently, when a vaccine is injected, the aluminum can either be quickly absorbed and widely distributed by the blood or it can sit in the place where it was injected and slowly be distributed. He mentioned how harmful it can be if it is quickly distributed all over the body.

When I think about these Gardasil victims, I am seeing a common profile of athletic women who are in good physical condition (though there is definitely also a common problem with allergies). I wonder if they had very quick and complete distribution of all the toxins in the vaccines. It would explain the fainting for sure. I too, felt faint several times after receiving my last Hep B vaccine. (Then I got pregnant with my child, who has autism I might add.)

Do obese children/adults have less vaccine reactions?

kristine

Also, in almost all of these articles, it say "Merck is investigating...." "Merck and the CDC follow up on...." "Merck is looking into suspected cases of ALS..."

What? I should hope this would raise flags with people. Why does Merck get to police itself? It's crazy.

kristine

Watching Merck and the vaccine-injury denialist public healthers do damage control would be totally amusing if it wasn't such a serious issue.

The bad news is that Bachmann's career is effectively over. I wonder if she knew she was committing political suicide by questioning the holy grail? Or maybe I'm wrong and it's just all of my liberal "scientist" facebook friends that keep posting that link to the AAP statement defending Gardasil (brought to you by Merck). Maybe there are MORE of us than we know. I hope she got the republicans/conservatives thinking about the MANDATES and parental choice and how vaccine mandates are in direct opposition to the republican ideology. If we can win that battle, we are close.

Brandonsmom

Excuse me for almost choking on my rice crispies, but that Guinea Pig story creeped me out something fierce. When I was in the military and had the 3 shot Hep B series, I had the SAME EXACT complaint after vaccine #2 in the series. I have this documented in my military medical records. I wonder now, if I hadn't been so physically active (which helps detox I'm sure), would I have keeled over and died from it?

rileysmom

I want to make ONE thing clear...I appreciate Bachman saying what she did but don't get your panties on fire just yet. She may have said "IT" but wait it out. Find out WHO she is. Is she saying this for the soap box or does she actually BELIEVE what she says? She has 100 other views that I don't agree with her on. Ok, maybe just a couple but don't go saddling up with her just yet. We're autism parents, patience is in our job discription.
That and I think she could have chosen a better word besides MR. Just my opinion though.

Rachael

There are more than 100 different types of HPV and at least 15 of them are oncogenic. The current vaccines target only 2 oncogenic strains: HPV-16 and HPV-18. Second, the relationship between infection at a young age and development of cancer 20 to 40 years later is not known. HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection, with an estimated 79% infection rate over a lifetime. The virus does not appear to be very harmful because almost all HPV infections are cleared by the immune system. In a few women, infection persists and some women may develop precancerous cervical lesions and eventually cervical cancer. It is currently impossible to predict in which women this will occur and why. Likewise, it is impossible to predict exactly what effect vaccination of young girls and women will have on the incidence of cervical cancer 20 to 40 years from now. The true effect of the vaccine can be determined only through clinical trials and long-term follow-up.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/302/7/795.full?home

Maybe he was a "fired person"


Michelle Bachman's ex-campaign manager Ed Rollins criticized her for what she said about Gardasil, calling her an "emotional person."

Sexism is alive and well.

Bob Moffitt

As expected, most major media used Michelle's comments regarding the mom claiming Gardasil caused "mental retardation" for her child .. as an opportunity to attack her for being "irresponsible".

However .. whether or not Gardasil causes mental retardation is the least of the issues that Michelle has raised by attacking former Gov. Rick Perry for his executive decision to mandate Gardasil for ALL preadolescent girls living in the State of Texas.

Such as ..

CBS Evening News last night appeared to focus more attention on Perry's attempt to deceitfully diminish the amount of money he received from Merck .. which CBS revealed was not limited to the $5,000 that Perry claimed during the debate .. but .. more like ten-times that amount ($50,000) .. with a $5,000 political campaign check written the very day that Perry's staff met with Merck's "advisors".

CBS also reported uncovering emails that revealed how closely Merck worked with Perry's staff .. PRIOR to his issuing his executive order .. which CBS reported would have provided Merck with millions of dollars if his executive order had not been defeated by the legislators.

So .. I suspect Merck is very anxious that Michelle's attack on Perry is going to expose their other generous political campaign contributions .. such as .. "Women in Government" (WIG) .. whose members are elected representatives who have sponsored legislation throughout the fifty states proposing exactly what Perry's executive decision sought to accomplish.

In any event .. Michelle's MAIN contribution to our cause is to ask the voters:

Who has the right to decide what vaccines our children get .. their parents .. or .. their elected (WIG) state representatives?

Every candidate campaigning for state or federal elective office in 2012 should be required to answer THAT question ..especially PARENTS deciding whether or not to vote for them.

Rachael

While Michelle Bachmann probably shouldn't have said that the HPV vaccine could cause mental retardation, it has been linked to serious adverse reactions, even death. On Truthaboutgardasil.org heart-wrenching accounts of parents who've lost their daughters following vaccination are sobering. And yet, the CDC continues to maintain the importance of the vaccine. The fact of the matter is that we will not know the effect these vaccines have on decreasing the incidence of cervical cancer for the next 20 years.

http://evergreenpark.patch.com/articles/is-hpv-vaccine-all-its-cracked-up-to-be

http://truthaboutgardasil.org/

dood

76 VAERS reports with some sort of mental disability/reaction to HPV

http://xrl.us/bmdh6w

Andrea

Anyone see Dr. Oz on Today this morning? He supposedly had several brands of apple juice independently tested and found it contained dangerously high levels of arsenic. He got bitch slapped by the "experts" for scaring and misleading people. The argument was organic vs. inorganic arsenic ( sound familiar).

We have 2 high profile people in - few days time- raise concerns about things affecting our children and they are immediately attacked and discredited by public health officials, medical organizations and experts.

These organizations just seem to function in a capacity of damage control. They certainly aren't protecting us from the outset.

nhokkanen

The HPV vaccine injury documentary is called "One More Girl," by ThinkExist Productions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N0KTZZOrD4

How sad that the media again are choosing demagoguery over children's health problems.

Jeff C.

CW Grayson - As you know, this discussion is about vaccine safety and government mandates that we subject our children to a potentially harmful medical intervention without compelling need. Theoretical protection against a disease our child may or may not get thirty years down the road doesn't pass the test, particularly when there are existing safe and proven methods to achieve the same thing.

Since only those pushing the vaccines frame these issues as the "anti-vaccine movement", I'm assuming your livelihood is linked to vaccine sales. I can assure you that those at Merck don't welcome this turn of events and are scared to death by the ruckus. When this controversy started in Texas back in 2007, Merck quietly dropped their lobbying of state mandates due to the bad PR. They didn't consider it free advertising back then, and they don't now. They understand that the days of the public blindly rolling up their sleeves and following the decrees of self-appointed "experts" is over.

Assuming for one minute, that perhaps your comment was not meant to be a snide remark, you might want to reconsider your choice of phrasing.

Sarah

I've been on line (ABC news web page) and the pro-vaccine side is shredding Bachmann (not surpisingly). I keep trying to bring it back to the real issue that HPV vaccine can cause serious injury and death. If you get a chance, jump on these news stories and weigh in.

Jen

TJ, not only is it cheaper if they go to two doses but it also would be (cynically) a way for them down the road to blame any cervical cancer incidences on the drop in dosage. Also, they may be honestly cluing in to all the serious adverse events and know that "one less" dose will equal fewer adverse events.
What I want to know is, if there wasn't so much pharma grip on the media, where are all the interviews of children harmed by this vaccine? It definitely is topical lately and a huge human interest story. Where are the interviews?

Parent

Heretofore I did not like Michele Bachmann, but she has earned my respect and gratitude.

Casey

Great article. As long as SOMEONE keeps questioning the sacred institutions of vaccines we are still in the game. On a side note: remeber the movie the two brothers made for their sister and the Guardasil vaccine? I think it was called One Less? Where is a link to that?

cmo

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe I read that there are currently 83 Gardasil death cases on the docket at the Vaccine Court.

Of course, the main stream media will not mention this item, nor that the vaccine has been banned in India with 4 deaths and other complications.

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/india-suspends-gardasil-program-after-four-deaths-and-complications-in-120-girls.html


Dr. Nancy stated that 35 million doses have been distributed which might cover about 10 million girls and a few million boys if that...

For those dating, better check the vaccine records of those driving up to the house... From a "herd immunity" viewpoint the vaccine is basically worthless, if not worthless for many other reasons.

Gardasil is designed to protect against only four strains of HPV, there are over thirty strains including fifteen that can cause cancer.

Zed

If history has taught us anything, it's that those in positions with big microphones DARE NOT publicly criticize the holy grail of vaccines. As refreshing as it is that a potential presidential candidate voiced legitimate concerns over a dangerous vaccine--and its potentially mandated status--Bachmann has stepped into a dangerous chasm. We've all heard "candidates" urge for a more reasoned approach, promising to correct the injustice once they're in office. But if they're elected, they somehow develop amnesia. Once they're in a position to actually DO something, they lose steam. I think we understand how drug lobbies heavily "finance" public officials to see their priorities met.
There's a good chance that Bachmann's reference to an anecdotal story (however true it is) will land her in the "woo" category along with the rest of us who "deny science" and read all the "misinformation on the internet." And let's face it, the average Joe doesn't want to believe the government's duplicity in authorizing dangerous drugs. It was a political ploy that will probably kill her chances.

CW Grayson

I agree - Michele Bachmann has done a great thing by linking HPV to mental retardation. Rep. Bachmann is the perfect spokesperson for the anti-vaccine movement. I look forward to more of her proclamations, and the ensuing media coverage.

TJ

So I heard on the 'news' a few days ago that 'researchers say only one or two doses may be needed to be effective'.
I see this a way to try to increase uptake as the expense and 3-dose series has been touted as the reason why most people are passing on it.
Sad, sad, sad...

Not an MD

J.B.- Thank you so much for writing this piece. I feel as you do-- that Michele Bachmann did a wonderful thing by expressing in a very public way what a mother told her about her daughter's reaction to Gardasil. I am so glad she spoke her mind and that the number one search on Yahoo for two days straight was "HPV vaccine." Only through awareness and public outrage can we keep the vaccine manufacturers in check. That a vaccine manufacturer (Merck) continues to allow charred plastic shrink wrap in their vaccines (since 2009!) without a care or thought to correct the problem until it suits them (by year end 2011?), and that they allow recombinant viral DNA in their Gardasil vaccine is a disgrace brought on by giving this industry a free-from-liability pass. Congress needs to correct this huge mistake immediately. If products are to be mandated, let them be the safest possible, or else apply the precautionary principle and rescind the mandates. Until the vaccine industry errs on the side of caution, the latter approach is the only one that makes sense.

The vaccine industry needs to prove to the public that they care about product safety and purity. It is painfully clear at present that they do not.

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