"GARDASIL" - BEWARE

[patyrn]

There is an article on the Wichita Eagle website and maybe published in today's newspaper regarding a teenager in Wichita who is suffering life-threatening conditions affecting her immune and nervous system.  Her doctor and family think the vaccine, GARDASIL, designed to protect against cervical cancer, is to blame for her condition.  Her name is Gabi Swank and she is a friend of my niece.  She is a junior at Wichita South High School, an honor roll student, cheerleader, and gymnast

Since cervical cancer runs in her family, in 2007 they chose for her to take the vaccine recommended for young women ages 9-26.  She was perfectly healthy before she started the three-shot series. Her life is in shambles now.  Although the drug company that developed the vaccine, Merck, disputes the risks, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vaccine has been linked to 32 deaths and more than 700 serious or life-threatening complications. 

For anyone considering this anti-cancer vaccine, please log on to the Wichita Eagle website and read this article and get educated about the possible dangers of GARDASIL.  It is also worth researching on the internet.  Please inform your friends and relatives of the possibility of risks of taking Gardasil.

[indygal]

I also would urge those considering the vaccine to do the research, not only about Gardasil, but about HPV and the number of people it affects. patryn, I too read this story, and my heart breaks for this young woman and her family. But to say her illness is the result of the vaccine is misleading. The article stated that there have been 32 deaths and 700-some reports of illnesses/reactions linked to Gardisil, but it also was reported that there have been 10s of millions of vaccines given around the world (with I think 21 million here in the US). It would seem likely that if the vaccine were solely responsible for this girl's illness, there would be others reporting the same situation. And should a link be discovered, it behooves the drug company to be held accountable. However, consider this, from the CDC: Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and another 6.2 million people become newly infected each year. At least 50% of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. In no way am I trying to promote the vaccine. I'm just saying, weigh the risks and make an informed decision.

[Tobina+1]

Both of you have good points.  This is also similar to the situation where some people think that child vaccinations can be linked to autism.  Not agreeing or disagreeing; it's just important for the parents to do their own research and make the decisions on their own... not just based on one single article in a paper or someone else's opinion.