New Web Site Launched For Gardasil Victims
New Web Site Launched For Gardasil Victims
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New Web Site Launched For Gardasil Victims
By Susan Brinkmann, For The Bulletin
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Two North Carolina women who met when their daughters both became sick after being vaccinated by the same lot of the controversial Gardasil vaccine, have launched a new Web site to help victims find information and support.
TruthAboutGardasil.org is the brainchild of Marian Green, 42, of Boone, North Carolina and Rosemary Mathis, 45, of nearby North Wilkesboro.
Unknown to one another at the time, both women decided two years ago to have their daughters vaccinated with Gardasil, a vaccine created by Merck & Co. which protects teens against several cancer-causing strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus.
“Holly used to run six to 10 miles daily – she was at the top of her game,” said Mrs. Greene about her now 18-year-old daughter. “But within a few days of getting the Gardasil shot, she couldn’t walk and could hardly breathe.”
Rosemary’s now 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, received a vaccine from the same lot number. “Within 14 days, she started to become sick and is now completely disabled,” Mrs. Mathis said.
The two found themselves running from doctor to doctor looking for help. In Holly’s case, she was eventually diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation and swelling around the heart, which the doctor said was caused by the Gardasil shot.
Doctors at Duke University have determined that Lauren Mathis is suffering from a “vaccine injury” and say it will take her at least two years to recover from it.
“She’s coming around,” Mrs. Mathis said. “She was completely bedridden before and isn’t now.”
During those frantic two years spent searching for answers, Marian and Rosemary stumbled upon a Yahoo group for victims of the vaccine. It was here that they met each other along with hundreds of other mothers whose daughters became sick after receiving the Gardasil vaccine.
Eventually, they found another group for Garadasil victims on Facebook, where thousands more were looking for help.
“And these people were from all over the world, not just the USA,” Mrs. Green says.
Between the two of them, they have been in contact with parents from England, Spain, Germany, Holland and Australia, all with daughters who suffered serious injury or died after receiving either Gardasil or its European equivalent, GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix.
Ultimately, they decided it was time to start TruthAboutGardasil.org, which is designed to unite victims in their search for help and to get the drug removed from the market.
The site contains an information page with important facts about the vaccine as well as page after page of documentation on victims, including a memorial page telling the story of those who have died.
Another page lists “Guardian Angels,” women in dozens of states who have been through this experience and can be contacted for support and to guide others in their search for answers.
Philadelphia resident Jodi Speakman, 39, serves as the “Guardian Angel” for the state of Pennsylvania. Her daughter, Victoria, 18, became sick after receiving her second shot of Gardasil in Feb. 2008, and suffers from a litany of serious medical problems such as seizures, intermittent paralysis, memory loss, confusion, chronic fatigue.
“My daughter can never be left home alone. She can’t go to school, go out with her friends or work (and) has little ‘normalcy’ in her life,” Mrs. Speakman says, adding that they’ve had to increase the security in their home because Victoria often gets confused after a seizure and “goes missing.”
Victoria’s doctor has confirmed that her symptoms are directly related to Gardasil, “but not in a way that he can test or prove,” she said.
In the meantime, her family is left struggling with medical bills and searching for help. “I cry every day,” she admits.
She got involved in the new site because “There are so many girls out there with the same symptoms as my daughter, but they don’t make the connection with Gardasil. If we all come together to seek medical help for our daughters, we can raise awareness.”
Comments are already pouring into the new site. One woman says her granddaughter had her first Gardasil shot and “hasn’t been the same since.”
Another woman says her daughter came down with Hodgkins Lymphoma shortly after receiving a Gardasil shot and says, “I have located approximately 20 others with the same circumstance.”
As of the summer of 2009, there have been more than 15,000 thousand reported reactions to Gardasil, including more than 3,000 injuries and 48 deaths. Fourteen of the girls who died after getting Gardasil were under the age 16.
Even though the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sent a warning letter to Merck’s West Point, Pennsylvania manufacturing plant where Gardasil is made, citing “significant deviations from current good manufacturing practice” they continue to stand behind the vaccine it fast-tracked into use in 2006.
Despite the fact that Merck’s lead researcher on both the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccine, Dr. Diane Harper, has publicly stated that the drugs will do little to reduce cervical cancer rates and were never adequately tested on children under age 15, Merck stands behind its product. With Gardasil profits ranging between $1.4 and $1.6 billion in 2008, they have repeatedly expressed confidence in its safety.
For more information, visit www.truthaboutgardasil.org.
Susan Brinkmann can be reached at fiat723@aol.com
Websites, that you may also want to take a look at. Some pertain specifically to Gardasil and HPV, others to vaccines in general. Many of the sites are from other countries, proving Gardasil is affecting girls on a global scale
http://www.cynthiajanak.com/Gardasil.html
http://holyhormones.com/sister_song/74323-responses-to-memorial-document-on-gardasil/
http://www.gardasilactiongroup.com/Gardasil/Home.html
http://www.aavp.es/ This site is in Spanish. There are many free translation programs online, so that the information here can be copy and pasted.
http://www.generationrescue.org/
http://www.comilva.org/default.asp This site is based in Italy, so you would have to use a free translator again. But there is some great info available here.
http://www.EU2009.Come2me.nl This site is based in The Netherlands, but has a button at the top that you can use to translate the site for you.
http://truthaboutgardasil.org/?page_id=205
The Maglio Christopher Toale & Pitts Law Firm represents both children and adults from across the nation injured by adverse vaccine reactions. Information regarding bringing compensation claims under the United States National Vaccination Injury Compensation Program is contained on this site.
Vaccines covered by the National Vaccination Injury Compensation Program include the following:
- Tetanus toxoid-containing vaccines (DTaP, Tdap, DTP-Hib, DT, Td, TT)
- Pertussis antigen-containing vaccines (DTaP, Tdap, DTP, P, DTP-Hib)
- Measles, mumps and rubella virus-containing vaccines in any combination (MMR, MR, M, R)
- Rubella virus-containing vaccines (MMR, MR, R)
- Measles virus-containing vaccines (MMR, MR, M)
- Polio live virus-containing vaccines (OPV)
- Polio inactivated-virus containing vaccines (IPV)
- Hepatitis B antigen-containing vaccines (Engerix-B, Recombivax HB, Twinrix)
- Hemophilus influenzae (type b polysaccharide conjugate vaccines)
- Varicella vaccine (Varivax chickenpox virus vaccine and ProQuad)
- Rotavirus vaccine (Rota Teq )
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (Prevnar)
- Hepatitis A vaccines (Havrix, VAQTA, and Twinrix)
- Trivalent influenza vaccines (Flu vaccines including FluMist, a live attenuated influenza virus vaccine; and injectable influenza vaccines FluShield, Fluvirin, Fluzone, and Afluria)
- Meningococcal vaccines (meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4) and meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), Menactra)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix)
Compensated, although rare, adverse reactions to these vaccines include death, anaphylaxis, encephalopathy, encephalitis, brachial neuritis, seizures, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, arthritis, thrombocytopenic purpura, intussusception, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, transverse myelitis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, reflexive sympathetic disorder, complex regional pain syndrome, autoimmune hepatitis, Tourette's syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, lupus, connective tissue disorders, Wegener's granulomatosis, polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), Kawasaki disease, and others.
Our law firm has made available online and searchable the Vaccine Adverse Event Report System (VAERS) Database. Federal law requires physicians and hospitals to report any suspected vaccine reactions to VAERS. Unfortunately, it is estimated that between only 1 to 10 percent of adverse vaccine reactions are reported. Despite this the database contains several hundred thousand reports of adverse vaccine reactions. Click here to search the VAERS Database.
Claims for compensation are adjudicated by the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC. This is an unusual court in that the Court's jurisdiction extends throughout the entire United States, including the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Specialized judges titled Special Masters act as the fact finders and handle the first level of adjudication for vaccine claims. There are no juries in these cases. First level appeals are handled by Judges of the Federal Claims Court and second level appeals go before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Click here for a detailed description of the vaccine injury litigation process.
To have us review your case, click here, or call our office toll free at 888-952-5242. No attorney-client relationship can be established with the Maglio Christopher Toale & Pitts Law Firm absent a written retainer agreement signed by an authorized representative of the Firm.
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Gardasil Side Effects and Injuries - Free Case Review by our Gardasil Lawyers and Attorneys.
Keywords: Gardasil | Lawyer | Injury | Side Effects | Attorney | Blood Clots | Lawsuit | Miscarriage | Death
The lawyers and attorneys at our firm are investigating instances of serious side effects linked to Gardasil, an HPV vaccine, including blood clots and deaths. Since Gardasil was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), its maker, Merck Inc., has undertaken an aggressive campaign to force families to subject their daughters to the Gardasil vaccine. And even thought Gardasil side effect reports are increasing, the FDA has refused to review the safety of this vaccine. Our Gardasil side effect lawyers are offering free consultations to anyone who suffered serious complications from Gardasil or their families. The Gardasil side effect lawyers at our firm will work hard to make sure Gardasil victims receive the compensation they deserve.
Gardasil was approved by the FDA in June 2006. At the time of its approval, Merck & Co., the maker of Gardasil, said that clinical trials had proven the vaccine to be between 90-100% effective in preventing the transmission of some strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer. The approval of Gardasil was much hyped, with Merck claiming that it had the potential to eventually eliminate most cervical cancers. The investigation conducted by our Gardasil side effect lawyers has concluded that the FDA erred in its rush to approve Gardasil, and did not study the vaccine's possible side effects thoroughly.
The Gardasil side effect lawyer at our firm are disturbed at Merck's attempts to force Gardasil vaccines on your women. Following its approval, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that all young girls between the ages of 11 and 12 receive the Gardasil vaccine. Recently, 20 states pushed for federal mandates to make Gardasil mandatory for sixth grade girls
Merck was more than happy to echo the CDC recommendations, and actually began an intensive lobbying effort to convince state health authorities to make Gardasil vaccinations mandatory for young girls. Merck’s heavy promotion of Gardasil has been effective, as some analysts estimate that Gardasil could net the company as much as $1.4 billion in its first full year on the market.
Gardasil Linked to Blood Clots, Miscarriages and Deaths
Since its approval, Merck has claimed that Gardasil is practically side effect free, with pain at the injection site being the most common complaint about the vaccine. However, a 2007 Judicial Watch analysis of the FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reveals that Gardasil has not been as side effect free as Merck claims. Oddly, Judicial Watch was only able to obtain the FDA’s reports on Gardasil after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the agency.
Since its approval, there have been at least 3,461 complaints of adverse reactions to the Gardasil vaccine, and there could have been as many as eight deaths attributable to Gardasil. According to Judicial Watch, in several instances, blood clots were reported to have occurred after the administration of Gardasil.
Other side effects including paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures were also reported. Our Gardasil side effect attorneys believe that even these Gardasil adverse event reports could be underestimating the true number of serious Gardisil side effect incidents that have actually occurred. For that reason, we are seeking to speak with anyone who experienced serious Gardasil side effects.
Gardasil has also been linked to an increased instance of fainting following administration of the vaccine. From 2002-2004 there were a total of about 50 reports of vaccine-related fainting. But from 2005 until last July, reports of vaccine-related fainting spiked to about 230. About 180 of those cases followed a shot of Gardasil, according to the CDC).
The Gardasil side effect reports also include 28 women who miscarried after receiving Gardasil. In May 2007, a 24-year-old woman suffered a miscarriage, which an investigator in a report issued to the federal government said, “may have been caused by Gardasil because the patient received the injection within 30 days of the pregnancy.” In July 2007, a 17-year-old girl from Texas was unaware she was pregnant when she got her second dose of Gardasil. She miscarried, but the cause of the miscarriage hasn’t been determined, according to a report.
The reasons for two other miscarriages in Florida in 2007 - one by a 16-year-old and another by a 24-year-old both - are undetermined, according to reports. But it is known that both women had Gardasil vaccinations shortly before the miscarriages. If you or someone you know suffered a miscarriage following the administration of Gardasil, it is important that you contact one of our Gardasil side effect lawyers in order to protect your rights.
Most disturbing among the Gardasil side effect reports are those that involve the deaths of young women. Three young women in the US died shortly after receiving Gardasil, while two other women in Europe also died after the vaccine was administered. Despite all of these reports, Merck continues to market Gardasil as virtually side-effect free. Our Gardasil side effect lawyers believe that Merck has misled the public about Gardasil's potential dangers, and our law firm intends to hold Merck accountable for these dangerous Gardasil side effects.
Legal Help for Gardasil Side Effect Victims
If you or someone you know suffered a serious Gardasil side effect, you have valuable legal rights. Please fill out our online form or call as at 1-800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) to speak with a qualified Gardasil side effect lawyer.
Gardasil RSS Feed
Gardasil No Longer Requirement For Immigrants
Nov 18, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Gardasil or other HPV vaccination will no longer be a requirement for immigrant girls and women seeking a green card, according to the Associated Press (AP). Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires that all immigrants filing for a green card must receive a variety of shots; the HPV vaccine is currently among those required.Effective December 14, the HPV vaccination will not be required, said the AP, in an effort to not single out immigrants. The requirement...
Gardasil No Longer Requirement For Immigrants »
Gardasil Researcher Questions Safety, Effectiveness of HPV Vaccines
Oct 29, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
A medical researcher who played a role in the development of both Gardasil and Cervarix recently asserted that neither HPV vaccine would do much to reduce cervical cancer rates in the U.S. According to a report on chattahbox.com, Dr. Diane Harper also said the HPV vaccines should not be administered to girls under 15.Gardasil prevents four strains of HPV, two of which cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers. The other two HPV strains are responsible for about 90 percent of genital...
Gardasil Researcher Questions Safety, Effectiveness of HPV Vaccines »
CDC Says Gardasil For Boys Should Be Optional
Oct 22, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Yesterday, the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted against recommending routine Gardasil vaccination for boys. The voting does, however, allow physicians the option of recommending the vaccine for boys and men, said AJC/HealthDayNews. The Committee reports its findings to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The drug was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for boys and men aged nine through 26 for the prevention of genital warts,...
CDC Says Gardasil For Boys Should Be Optional »
Researchers Name Gardasil A Suspect in Two ALS Cases
Oct 20, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Gardasil may have played a role in two fatal cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, according to researchers from the ALS Center at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. According to WebMD, the researchers looking into the cases can't confirm a connection, but are hoping that by raising awareness, they will learn of any other incidents of ALS that have followed Gardasil vaccination.Gardasil prevents four strains of HPV, two...
Researchers Name Gardasil A Suspect in Two ALS Cases »
Gardasil For Boys May Not Be Cost-Effective
Oct 9, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Just as U.S. regulators are set to decide on approving Gardasil for boys and young men, a new study is questioning the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination for that group. The study appeared online today in The British Medical Journal.According to a press release from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), researchers there found that if HPV vaccine coverage and efficacy are high in girls, a universal recommendation to vaccinate young boys is unlikely to provide comparatively good...
Gardasil For Boys May Not Be Cost-Effective »
Previous Gardasil Issue Posts
http://lecafpolitiquedecamusdecaf.blogspot.com/2009/09/gardasil-and-how-it-has-affected-lives.html
http://lecafpolitiquedecamusdecaf.blogspot.com/2009/09/health-dominates-domestic-concerns.html
http://lecafpolitiquedecamusdecaf.blogspot.com/2009/10/gardasil-story-continued-controversy.html
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