Getting vaccinated is meant to be a safe way to prevent individuals from contracting illnesses. However, According to the FDA, the Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System (VAERS) received more than 64,000 people reporting adverse side effects after getting the Gardasil vaccination. Adverse side-effects of this particular vaccination have been reported in children and adolescents.
What is the Gardasil Vaccination?
Gardasil is a vaccination designed to protect against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Not only are HPV infections hard to detect once contracted, but these infections also will not go away on their own and can lead to the following health complications later in life:
- Cervical Cancer
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vulvar Cancer
- Penile Cancer
- Throat Cancer
- Anal Cancer
- Genital Warts
From it’s introduction to the market, Gardasil has been considered a “miracle vaccination” for being able to prevent all of the illnesses directly connected to contracting HPV in children and teens although they were not yet sexually active.
What is not commonly shared from the manufacturer of Gardasil, Merck, are the serious adverse side-effects that are being reported as a result. Unfortunately, there have been some children and teenagers who later experienced systemic autoimmune dysregulation and problems with their nervous system, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). In addition, recent studies have begun to show that the vaccine may not be effective in preventing cervical cancer in women.
Yet, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to recommend the Gardasil vaccination for all boys and girls at the ages of 11 and 12.
Monitoring for Safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the CDC, and WHO have monitored Gardasil since its licensure in June 2005 and continue to monitor the vaccine’s safety today. In one important development, the FDA and CDC co-authored an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The article tracked adverse events from June 2006 through December 2008 and described 12,424 reports of adverse events, including 772 serious events. As of December 31, 2008, 32 deaths had been reported to VAERS.
Merck had distributed 23 million doses of Gardasil at the time of the study, and reported adverse effects include:
- Local injection site reactions
- Syncope (temporary loss of consciousness)
- Headaches and dizziness
- Nausea
- Allergic reactions
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)
- Transverse myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord)
- Motor neuron disease
- Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs or blood clots)
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- Autoimmune disorders
- Pregnancy
- Deaths
While rare, these adverse side-effects are never acceptable. Doctors only give vaccines when they feel the benefits outweigh the risks. But, when manufacturers like Merck fail to provide the public with all their study information, people get hurt.
How can Kwartler Manus help?
If you or your child experienced an adverse event after receiving the Gardasil vaccine, Kwartler Manus, LLC is here for you. We handle all sorts of mass torts and can help you recover valuable compensation. We want to help you recover compensation from Merck because we believe in holding these kinds of manufacturers accountable.Our attorneys are available 24/7 to talk to you about your case. Contact us online or by phone at (267) 457-5570 so that we can review your situation and discuss the options you might have to recover compensation.