World Net Daily sometimes goes off the path, but this time, they are posting emotional noise in the article, “’My headache’s about to explode’: U.S. girls just dropping dead.” Author Joe Kovacs even goes so far as to support the claim by the organization, Judicial Watch, that the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus, Gardasil, is harmful by citing a case of “meningococcal disease,” caused by the bacteria, Neisseria meningitides.
The article or the claims have no basis in fact. There was one case of anaphylactic shock, but no other deaths due to the vaccine. There has been no pattern of serious adverse effects and the major problems have been sore arms and fainting which looks like a seizure to those who haven’t seen it before. (I’m a Family Physician who has had fathers faint in my office and the hospital while watching procedures or shots. Mothers tend to sit when I ask them to, so they’re less likely to faint.)
Gardasil is not derived from the actual HPV virus. It is made the same way that insulin is made for patient injection for diabetes: bacteria is tricked into producing proteins that “look” like bits of the virus, but are never in any way active as an infectious agent.
The article notes that there have been over 35 Million doses of Gardasil given in the United States. We have 10 years of experience. Back in 2006, before Governor Rick Perry made news my adding Gardasil to the list of mandatory vaccines for school children, we already had five years of history and reviews of the vaccine. We have all sorts of studies and surveillance going on currently. Take a look at the world-wide surveillance.
Everything that has an effect is likely to have a side effect. However, this article and the hullabaloo over Gardasil is hysteria. There are mechanisms that allow us to predict bodily reactions and enable us to practice medicine: we know how the body is likely to react to disease, a new exposure or stress, or to medications. There is no mechanism for the “my head is going to explode” symptom.
We do know enough to be able to say what does not have a basis in science. Science and medicine are getting *better* at predicting outcomes, not worse. Read up on “biological plausibility.”
In the comments, people are saying that the CDC and FDA are part of big conspiracy, that people shouldn’t trust their doctors. The reason that there are more recommended vaccines is because we are doing research to find more vaccines to prevent diseases, not because some horrible conspiracy is growing.
* We don’t have a vaccine for hysteria, although Michael Fumento called for one back in 1999, in his op-ed on a similar hullabaloo surrounding the anthrax vaccine.
WingRight 
As someone that will be in the medical field soon by the way (as your foil a Naturopathic doctor) I find your comment on the World Net Daily site to be very misinformed. The Gardasil vaccine is a huge mistake , just like the shigellosis vaccine will be and the chicken pox vaccine is as well. Gardasil only protects against 4 forms of HPV (granted this does cover 70% of HPV that causes cancer), and doctors don’t even test patients to see if they were exposed prior to HPV before the vaccine is given which would render the vaccine USELESS. And please don’t tell me that drug companies don’t push drugs that aren’t effective to make a quick buck before the lawsuits come in. Bisphosphonates actually hollow the bone inside out by interfering with the bone remodeling system in the body (hinder the osteoclasts actually) that made bones look thicker on a bone scan but in reality were brittle. Your telling me that the pharmaceutical industry knew none of this? And now they say they might have half lives of 150 YEARS! The sad thing is if you were really taught in medical school that osteoporosis could be stopped by making sure the body has adequate amounts of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, phosphorus, omega 3, vitamin k2 and boron and the person walked 3 times a week they would never suffer from osteoporosis and that it could actually be reversed. Or what about migraines which could be stopped for most people by using omega 3’s, magnesium and vitamin B2. Instead you give them an anti-seizure medicine (Topamax) and claim ignorance when the person comes in 6 months later with a lack of long term memory and Brain imaging with them having the brain for an 80 year old. Nope instead you take the FDA as God and prescribe deadly drugs and vaccines like they do no harm. Also look into some of the vaccines, you know they do use human diploid cells from aborted fetuses right? You are into bioethics but you have no idea how the FDA poisons their own people and uses vaccines like Gardasil to sterilize as well.
Posted by John Brisson | October 20, 2011, 9:24 PMActually, I have been very active in opposing unethical manufacture of vaccines and in alerting people to this questionable practice of using cell cultures derived from abortions. One of the reasons I approve of Gardasil is that is made in an ethical manner, without the use of these cultures. It is made in bacteria, which are induced to produce the proteins that act as antigens.
In fact, you make a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions about how I practice medicine. I am a strong proponent of preventive measures, discuss natural body defenses and repair mechanisms, as well as natural and home remedies. I am usually the last of my colleagues to prescribe new medicines because the general population may expose risks that were unknown in smaller cohorts.
Go back and read the WND article that uses the death of a girl from bacterial meningitis as an example of an adverse event related to Gardasil. Then, do a search at the VAERS site (under HPV4 and death) and evaluate the Reports for yourself. You could read the information on this post, https://wingright.org/2011/08/21/no-deaths-due-to-gardasil/ or this one https://wingright.org/2011/08/07/dose-of-reason-perry-and-gardasil/ (which quotes some of the Reports and gives instructions on how to search the VAERS site), also.
Posted by bnuckols | October 20, 2011, 10:53 PM