Gardasil, Do The Benefits Outweigh The Risks?

A friend asked me if I'd heard the latest reports about Gardasil. I hadn't at the time, but it wasn't hard to find out what she was talking about. Groups, including the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, (VAERS) are calling for an investigation into the recommendation that all young women and girls get the Gardasil vaccine. Gardasil is a vaccine that was was licensed in 2006 for the effective prevention of Human papillomavirus. (HPV) HPV infections cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in women world-wide. My friend was particularly worried because she has a 19-year-old niece that hasn't had the vaccine yet, and now she's concerned, and wonders if the benefits outweigh the risks. Allegedly, there have been 29 deaths that have been caused by the vaccine, 23 reports of blood clots, 16 reports of stroke, and 544 reports of seizures. Of course, no vaccine is risk-free, but Gardasil accounted for about 20 percent of all reactions reported to VAERS in 2007-2008 according to Barbara Loe Fisher, co- founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center. Most reported reactions were not considered serious, but it still leads one to wonder if the safety of the vaccine was studied well enough before it was mass-marketed. As for Merck, they claim that Gardasil is practically side effect free, and both Merck and the FDA say they will continue to review the data and that Gardasil remains safe and effective, and its benefits outweigh the risks. However, telling that to Emily Tarsell, whose daughter, Chris, died 21 days after getting her third dose of Gardasil vaccine, doesn't bring much comfort. Sources: New concerns about Mercks' Gardasil safety NVIC Vaccine Risk Report Reveals More Serious Reaction Reports After Gardasil Gardasil: More Adverse Reactions and Scandals