(NaturalHealth365)  The HPV vaccine is a drug that should be given to “all preteens,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The CDC advises 2 to 3 doses of this drug starting around age 11 or 12.

However, major pharmaceutical company Merck – the maker of the HPV vaccine, which is available under the brand Gardasil – recently published a study in the journal Pediatrics arguing for even earlier administration of their profitable drug.

Drugmaker wants U.S. government to recommend its controversial Gardasil shot for even younger kids

According to the official package insert made available by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Gardasil is a vaccine series recommended for girls and women between the ages of 9 through 26 years of age.  The vaccination series intends to prevent diseases caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV), including genital warts, certain types of reproductive cancers (including cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, and anus), and precancerous or dysplastic lesions, including intraepithelial neoplasia.

In October 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved Gardasil for use in boys and men 9 through 26 as a preventive intervention for anal cancer, genital warts, and specific precancerous or dysplastic lesions.

The safety of this drug has not been established in children younger than 9 years old, and, as mentioned, the CDC currently recommends the HPV shot for boys and girls starting around age 11 or 12.

But a new retrospective cohort study funded by the drugmaker Merck argues that giving this drug to children between 9 and 10 years old “may improve vaccination coverage rates.”

The researchers conducting the study looked at data from about 19,600 15- to 17-year-old teenagers who initiated HPV vaccination between 9 and 12 years old.  They concluded that giving the shots to kids earlier increased series completion, adding that doctors “should be vigilant to patient interactions after HPV series initiation to optimize public health benefits of vaccination.”

Notice, of course, that their research says nothing about improving the health and well-being of these kids.

Speaking of this article, Children’s Health Defense President Mary Holland says, “While it may be true that starting Gardasil shots at age 9 or 10 makes it more likely that children complete the series of shots, the goal of medicine should be health, not completion of a profit-driven protocol.”

We stand for informed parents: Here are potential adverse effects caused by the shot

As parents, we want what’s best for our children – and that includes helping them avoid potentially life-changing diseases like cancer and sexually transmitted infections.  However, it’s important for all parents to be made fully aware of the potential risks of any preventive drugs they choose to give to their kids.

With that in mind, here are some of the known adverse events reported following the administration of Gardasil, according to the package insert made available by the FDA:

• Dizziness and fainting (“sometimes resulting in falling with injury,” according to the insert)
• Swelling, redness, bruising, and pain near the injection site
• Headache
• Fatigue and malaise
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Joint pain and muscle pain
• Cellulitis
• Blood disorders, including idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, pulmonary embolus (PE, or blood clot in the lung), and deep venous thrombosis (DVT)
• Autoimmune dysfunction, including multiple sclerosis
• Guillain-Barré syndrome, motor neuron disease, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, transverse myelitis, and other types of paralysis
• Myocarditis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Seizures
• Death

Remember, these reported post-shot conditions do not necessarily prove causality, but they should warrant caution when deciding what types of drugs to give developing children.

Lastly, be aware that “Vaccination with Gardasil may not result in protection in all vaccine recipients,” according to the drug’s package insert … a simple reminder that the heavily propagandized message of “safe and effective” for vaccines is simply not true for everyone.

Bottom line: everyone deserves the right to choose when and whether to consent to medical procedures without guilt or coercion!

Sources for this article include:

Childrenshealthdefense.org
CDC.gov
CDC.gov
AAP.org
FDA.gov
Justtheinserts.com