Dear Pharmacist,
My friend and I are arguing about giving our daughters the Gardasil
vaccine to prevent cervical cancer that you is transmitted from
unprotected sex. I say “no” and she says “yes.” Settle this: Would
you give it to your daughter? F.E., Gainesville, Florida
ANSWER: No, I wouldn’t. Gardasil – released in 2006 – is a series
of three vaccinations aimed at women, ages 9-26, to reduce the
risk of developing cervical cancer later in life from HPV (human
papilloma virus) transmitted during sex.
I’ve noticed a massive (and pushy) campaign to mandate
injections for little girls in middle school, ages 11-12. These drugs
were not tested well in little girls, hence, our daughters will become
the long-term study group in this human experiment! Even though
millions of women have done fine with Gardasil, there are some
reports of hospitalizations from adverse drug reactions and a few
deaths being investigated. According to the makers (www.gardasil.
com):
“Gardasil may not fully protect everyone and does not prevent all types of cervical cancer...”
Let me tell you exactly what this means. Gardasil reduces incidence
of infection from HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Type 6 and 11 only
cause genital warts (annoying, but not fatal); whereas, the 16 and
18 strains of HPV are the strains linked to precancerous cervical
cells. In my opinion, if Gardasil addresses only four strains of HPV,
and there are dozens of other strains, why shoot the medical dart?
Merck will tell you to shoot it because those who develop cancer are
usually infected with HPV.
But not everyone with HPV develops cancer; it’s an unusual
event from a common infection. While Gardasil may be 100 percent
effective at eradicating the majority of cervical cancers from type
16 and 18 strains, do the benefits outweigh the risks? People with
allergies to yeast could experience even more side effects.
Gardasil contains “histadine” which turns into “histamine” and
while rare, it could cause allergic reactions or fainting in sensitive
people. This has happened.
Gardasil also contains aluminum – a metal that may be
involved in disorders like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s. If that’s true, what will the fallout be in years to come
if we inject our daughters now?
HPV could go undetected for years, and vaccinating a
woman who’s already infected could fuel the development of
cervical dysplasia and cancer. The vaccination doesn’t guarantee
that you won’t get cancer either because other factors come into
play. For example, smoking (or having sex with a smoker) increases
your risk. So does a deficiency in folic acid or vitamin C. Eating
poorly will increase your risk of developing any cancer. A healthy
immune system will help you deal more efficiently with any virus
or bacteria that you encounter. According to www.cervicaldysplasia.
com, “women with normal immune system function can be cured of
cervical dysplasia.” It’s important to get routine pap smears because
early detection saves lives.