Mothering Magazine Asks:
Do we really know enough about the new HPV vaccine
to mandate it for all preadolescent girls?
Bills have been introduced in 31 states requiring girls entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated with Gardasil, the new vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). Author and naturopathic physician Dr. Elissa Mendenhall questions these mandates.
Medical evidence suggests caution with Gardasil:
- The majority of girls 19 or younger are not infected with HPV.
- No studies have been done on the administration of Gardasil to girls younger than 15.
- Gardasil has not been tested for long-term safety.
- Eighty-two reports of reactions to Gardasil have been received in the six months since the vaccine's approval by the FDA.
- Gardasil protects against only 3.4 percent of HPV infection.
- Critics fear that women may forgo highly effective annual pap exams in favor of the Gardasil vaccine.
The politics of Gardasil:
- The two published studies of Gardasil were funded entirely by the manufacturer, Merck & Co.
- Bowing to pressure from parents and medical groups, Merck & Co. recently stopped lobbying state officials to require that students be vaccinated with Gardasil.
- Merck & Co. hopes to generate as much as $3 billion in annual sales from Gardasil.
- Merck & Co. has made financial contributions to some politicians to encourage the mandating of the administration of Gardasil.
For this and other informative articles for parents, ask for Mothering magazine's May-June 2007 issue at your local bookstore, newsstand, or natural food store; go to www.mothering.com; or try Mothering Digital. See a sample of the January/February issue here:
www.mothering-digital.com/mothering/sample/.
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