OPINION:
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics touts there is “absolutely no scientific validity” to the claim that the HPV vaccine “is dangerous,” we at the Alliance for Natural Health USA disagree (“Doctors call for HPV shots for boys,” Web, Monday).
The Center for Disease Control’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System received a total of 18,727 reports of adverse events following the Gardasil human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. A whopping 1,498 of those events (8 percent) were considered “serious,”including blood clots and neurological disorders. Unfortunately, the U.S. government’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) has chosen to not to investigate these adverse-effect reports, saying disingenuously that they only consider peer-reviewed research.
Both the major media and many of the IOM researchers depend on the drug companies for support, and it appears that we cannot expect anyone in an official position even to acknowledge, much less investigate, these reports submitted by doctors.
Until there is a full investigation of the nearly 19,000 adverse reactions to the Gardasil HPV vaccination, many parents should follow what the CDC recommended in 2009 - that the benefits of giving the HPV vaccine routinely to 11- to 12-year-old boys doesn’t justify the costs.
DARRELL ROGERS
Director, campaigns and communications
Alliance for Natural Health USA
Washington
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