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Gardasil

What happens when girls start dying after receiving an injection of a pricey new vaccine, one touted as a miracle that will save countless lives?

If you're in the United States -- well, we already know the answer to that. You give it to more girls, of course.

If you're in India, however, it's a different story. Recently, they took a novel approach to protecting young women. Rather than continuing to dose more girls with a potentially deadly substance, get this... They stopped giving it to them. After only four deaths, the Indian Council of Medical Research called for immediate suspension of the country's cervical cancer vaccination program.

Don't get me wrong -- four is still a tragic loss, but I say "only" to highlight the difference here in the U.S., where last summer the number was already hovering around 50 deaths the FDA says are potentially linked to Gardasil. And yet young women are still getting the shot every day. The difference in attitude is amazing.

Last summer, I told you about the CDC's and FDA's reaction to the emerging dangers of Gardasil ("Study reports on Gardasil's shady marketing," 8/27/2009). By the CDC's count, there were 32 deaths linked to Gardasil at that time. Young women whose lives weren't lost were fainting and ending up with blood clots. And mounting evidence was already showing that the drug wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Still, they kept giving it, and kept defending it, and continue to do so, even as the facts stack against Gardasil -- in fact, the mainstream has been trying to find even MORE applications for this nightmare.

And then you have India. The vaccination program has become controversial after four deaths and complications among 120 girls were reported after the vaccine was given. Stomach disorders, epilepsy, and headache are just a few of the side effects these girls had to deal with. Health authorities in India are saying the vaccine didn't undergo enough testing before its approval. It looks like Garadsil could be outright rejected there.

Imagine that -- health officials that actually look out for the health of the public, for the well being of a nation's children.

I hope the FDA is paying attention to this story, because there's certainly a major lesson to be learned. Yours in good health, Christine O'Brien


Sources: "Cancer vaccine programme suspended after 4 girls die," DNA India (www.dnaindia.com)

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Dear Reader,

It's been linked to nearly 50 deaths. Girls who take this substance have developed blood clots and sometimes faint after that first shot. There are fears that it could cause infertility.

India cracked down on its use after four girls died and many others experienced epileptic seizures and stomach disorders.

The latest party drug to hit the scene, worrying parents and pushing law enforcement into action?

Nope. I'm, of course, talking about Gardasil. Despite mounting reports of dangerous side effects (over 15,000 girls have reported adverse effects) -- and deaths -- it continues to haunt us. And now drug marketers are trying to figure out how to hook even more girls.

The U.K.'s Daily Mail reports that a national campaign (using tax payers' money) is offering teen girls £45 shopping vouchers to receive the three-jab course of an HPV vaccine. No parental consent is necessary, and I wonder how much information about the potential dangers these girls are being handed along with that shopping money.

In British Columbia, Canada, a team of researchers talked to parents of 6th grade girls and discovered that they're hesitant to subject their daughters to the HPV vaccine. Why? Doesn't matter. The takeaway from this study was that policymakers should be "implementing strategies to ensure optimal HPV vaccine uptake." All in the name of protection.

Meanwhile, the story we're not hearing in the mainstream is that even the lead researcher in the development of Garadsil herself is starting to speak out against the vaccine. Dr. Diane Harper has said that the drug will do little to reduce cervical cancer rates and that the drug has gone basically untested in girls under 15, yet doctors are recommending it for girls as young as nine. That's right -- nobody even bothered to find out if it was safe before shooting up our daughters with the stuff.

Still, Merck pushed to make the vaccine mandatory in all states. Why? Simple. They never followed girls for any longer than three years in safety and efficacy tests. Cancer takes 20 years to develop. We may have only seen the beginnings of the side effects and deaths associated with this drug.

Made mandatory, Gardasil would fall under the wing of federal vaccine protection laws. If the vaccine turns out to be harmful -- well, MORE harmful -- Merck cannot be touched.

Seems like a perfect storm to me. Shopping vouchers and stern talks from doctors will lead more and more girls into the doctor's office for their Gardasil shot. How many more will die? How many will we discover have been left infertile after receiving the vaccine?

We won't find out until it's far too late for those girls. And if Merck has their way, nobody will be able to do a darn thing about it.

Yours in good health,

Christine O'Brien

Sources:
"Parents Need to Be Convinced Their Daughters Should Receive HPV Vaccine, Experts Say," Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com)
"£45 shops 'bribe' for cervical cancer jab for teenage girls," Mail Online (www.dailymail.co.uk)
"Head Gardasil Researcher Says It's Ineffective and "a Public Health Experiment," The Daily Censored (www.dailycensored.com)


To start receiving your own copy of the Health e-Tips, visit: http://www.wrightnewsletter.com/etips/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the Health e-Tips. Health e-Tips readers can now tap into the minds of other health-conscious readers at the new HSI health forum: http://www.healthiertalk.com
Copyright (c)2010 by Healthier News, LLC. Health e-Tips may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission.

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