Dr. Mercola August 25 2008 1,021 views
Most medical organizations have strongly advocated using the HPV vaccine Gardasil for girls 11 and 12 years old. But an editorial to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine has outlined some serious concerns about the vaccine.
First, Gardasil's long-term effectiveness is unclear. And because cervical cancer takes years to develop, critics say the current information is insufficient to determine whether Gardasil works.
Gardasil is also expensive, costing about $400 to $1,000 for the necessary three doses of the vaccine, and the vaccine only protects against some of the viruses that cause cervical cancer.
There is also the issue of side effects. FDA records reveal that, since Gardasil's approval, nearly 9,000 girls had "bad health events" after receiving their shots.
This is the reason why my daughter will never get this vaccination. Why can't I get a straight answer?message: Hi, why haven't you told Health Canada about the adverseeffects of Gardasil?I am concerned because the FDA reports over 1,500 (now at 9,749)adverse effects in the US, but none in Canada? Can you tell me what is different about the product in Canada as I have a daughter who is going to be getting the vaccination?Sheila
Federal regulations limit the scope of information that pharmaceuticalmanufacturers are authorized to give on prescription drugs including viathe internet. In addition, specific medical recommendations regardingdrugs or vaccines can not be made directly to individuals as, you canunderstand, this is the responsibility of the patient's treatinghealthcare professional (physician, dentist, etc.).
We would like to point out that information on GARDASIL(r) is availablefrom our company to all healthcare professionals including pharmacistsor physicians across the country. If your daughter's physician orpharmacist needs additional information, this can be obtained bycontacting our Customer Information Center at 1-800-567-2594.
The above information is supplied to you as a professional service inresponse to your specific request. The exchange of correspondence willbe kept for documentation purposes.
Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. does not recommend the use of its products inany manner other than as specified in the product monograph. You canhave access to the complete product monograph, which includes a listing of side effects, athttp://www.merckfrosst.ca/mfcl/en/corporate/products/gardasil.html.
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Customer Information CenterMerck Frosst Canada Ltd.