LifeSiteNews.com is reporting a shocking revelation – that one death per month is the average loss of life associated with the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil. The data comes from an FDA report obtained by a government watchdog agency.
My Take?
Merck, the maker of Gardasil, has come under heavy criticism for fast-tracking the drug onto the market without adequate testing – reportedly in order to beat out its rivals in getting an HPV vaccine on the market.
No comes Judicial Watch, a public interest group that campaigns against government corruption, that has uncovered documents through the Freedom of Information Act that show the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of 10 deaths associated with Gardasil since September 2007, and 140 “serious” reports of adverse reactions, including 27 “life threatening” cases, 10 spontaneous abortions, and 6 cases of the debilitating Guillain-Barre Syndrome since January 2008. You can read their report here.
Judicial Watch also found 8,864 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) records associated with Gardasil, more than double the 3,461 events that had been reported with the HPV vaccine in Fall 2007. In addition, many experienced outbreaks of genital warts from the HPV vaccine.
The watchdog group says the number of deaths associated with the vaccine is at least 18 and possibly as many as 20.
The most common diagnosed cause of death was blood clots. One woman died from a clot within 3 hours of the vaccine. One 20-year-old woman, with no medical history reported, died April 4, 2008 just four days after receiving Gardasil.
The serious adverse events include anaphylactic shock, grand mal convulsion, foaming at mouth, coma, paralysis, and death.
“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,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “In the least, governments should rethink any efforts to mandate or promote this vaccine for children.”
In looking at the TV Network coverage of this story, the Culture and Media Institute report:

A week after the news broke, CBS and NBC finally got around to reporting about the serious complications being caused by Gardasil, the anti-STD drug administered in compulsory vaccinations to girls as young as 12 in three states.  ABC hasn’t said a word.
Perhaps the better term would be “misreporting.”  CBS and NBC both asserted that Gardasil is safe, ignoring reports that some women have suffered convulsions, paralysis and death after being vaccinated. 
Neither NBC’s Today Show nor CBS’s The Early Show addressed the “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” (WorldNetDaily).  Instead, both shows downplayed the seriousness of the findings, focusing on minor complications such as dizziness and fainting. 
 The media continues the trend it established ever since the drug was first approved by the FDA in June 2006:  hyping its benefits and necessity and minimizing evidence of serious side effects.
Obviously, women and girls considering this vaccine need to be informed of these risks. My guess is that until they have more assurance of its safety, that they are going to increasingly refuse to take the risk.