HPV Vaccine Safety: Has the
CDC abandoned its mission?
By Norma Erickson
What
would happen if a vaccine turned out to cause more health problems than the
disease it was meant to protect against? Are medical consumers watching this
scenario unfold with HPV vaccines?
The U.S.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) states 90% of all HPV infections
clear on their own with no symptoms or medical treatment. Yes, human Papillomavirus
(HPV) may be one of the most commonly sexually transmitted viruses in the
country, but in the vast majority of cases there are no serious health
consequences to being exposed to human Papillomavirus.
In those
cases where infections with the same genotype of HPV persist over time,
abnormal cervical lesions may develop. These abnormal lesions (CIN), classified 1,
2, or 3, are typically called ‘precancerous’ lesions. Not many people are
aware of the fact that most CIN1 lesions go away on their own within two
years. 25-50% of CIN2 lesions regress on their own within the same two year
time frame. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC), World Health Organization, the results of a pooled analysis of
studies published between 1950 and 1993 indicated only 12% of CIN3 lesions
progress to invasive cervical cancer.
Chapter 2 of the
IARC’s COLPOSCOPY AND TREATMENT OF
CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA: A BEGINNER'S MANUAL states:
“Despite women’s
frequent exposure to HPV, development of cervical neoplasia is uncommon. Most
cervical abnormalities caused by HPV infection are unlikely to progress to
high-grade CIN or cervical cancer, as most of them regress by themselves. The
long time frame between initial infection and overt disease indicates that
several cofactors (e.g., genetic differences, hormonal effects, micronutrient
deficiencies, smoking, or chronic inflammation) may be necessary for disease
progression. Spontaneous regression of CIN may also indicate that many women
may not be exposed to these cofactors.”
Please
note this manual was designed to
teach medical and nursing personnel in developing countries where diagnostic
and therapeutic expertise is not readily available. In other words, the
progression from HPV exposure to potential development of cervical cancer is
similar in both developing countries and developed countries. It also
indicates that several cofactors (risk factors) may be needed for HPV
exposure to progress to abnormal lesions, much less cervical cancer.
What does this mean
for the average medical consumer?
·
HPV has not been proven to cause cervical cancer without
other risk factors being present.
·
Persistent infections with high-risk HPV genotypes may
lead to the development of cervical cancer if other risk factors are present.
·
According to the IARC, risk factors that contribute to the
development of cervical cancer precursors and cervical cancer include
infection with certain oncogenic types of human Papillomavirus (HPV), sexual
intercourse at an early age, multiple sexual partners, multiparity (giving
birth two/more times, or giving birth to twins), long-term oral contraceptive
use, tobacco smoking, low socioeconomic status, infection with Chlamydia
trachomatis, micronutrient deficiency and a diet deficient in vegetables and
fruits.
These
are all facts that CDC officials know, or should know. Given this, how can
these same CDC officials recommend and promote the universal use of HPV
vaccines in an attempt to eliminate one risk factor involved in the
development of cervical cancer?
Of equal
concern is that the CDC
knows the cervical cancer death rate in the United States has decreased
substantially due largely to the introduction and wide use of pap smears.
The CDC
would certainly know the side
effects of pap smears, which are mild and limited to:
·
Slight pelvic discomfort or pain during the procedure
·
Temporary abdominal cramping during or shortly after the
procedure
·
Mild vaginal bleeding for up to 24 hours following the
procedure
CDC
officials also know that pap smears can identify abnormal cervical lesions
long before they progress to cervical cancer. The CDC knows pap smears
already provide a safe, affordable, necessary and effective means of
preventing cervical cancer and cervical cancer deaths.
Despite
all of this knowledge, the CDC wholeheartedly recommends two HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix,
claiming both protect against cervical cancer in women.
However,
because pre-licensure clinical trials often do not detect rare adverse events
or adverse events related to special populations, the CDC and FDA are both
responsible for ongoing safety monitoring of HPV and other vaccines.
Vaccines continue to
be monitored for safety after they are licensed. This is because
pre-licensure trials are often too small to detect rare events and special
populations may not be adequately represented. Since licensure, CDC and FDA
have been closely checking the safety of HPV vaccines through 3 monitoring
systems. These systems can monitor adverse events (health problems) already
known to be caused by vaccines, as well as detect rare adverse events that
were not identified during pre-licensure clinical trials. The 3 systems are:
·
The Vaccine Adverse
Event Reporting System (VAERS)–an early warning public health system that
helps CDC and FDA detect possible side effects or adverse events following
vaccination.
·
The Vaccine Safety
Datalink (VSD) – collaboration between CDC and several health care
organizations which monitors and evaluates adverse events following
vaccination.
·
The Clinical
Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Network – collaboration between CDC
and medical research centers in the U.S. which conduct research on adverse
events that might be caused by vaccines.
VAERS
relies on voluntary data reporting. Even the CDC acknowledges that adverse
events may be 10 to as much 100 times the number actually reported.
The CDC claims,
“These vaccine safety studies continue to show that HPV vaccines are safe.”
A simple
analysis of the VAERS database alone does not support the CDC’s claims. The
chart below illustrates adverse events reported after Gardasil and Cervarix
compared against reports after the 13 other vaccines recommended for ages
7-18, for the period of time HPV vaccines have been on the market. Why do HPV
vaccines appear to be vastly over represented in the adverse events database?
Does
this not indicate some sort of safety signal?
We
discussed above the three side effects reported after pap smears, none of
which are life threatening. Compare them to the following list of new medical
conditions reported to VAERS after HPV vaccines:
Abortion/Stillbirth/Miscarriage,
Addison’s Disease, Adrenal failure/problems, Allergies, Anxiety/Panic
attacks, Appetite loss, Arthritis, Asthma attacks, Autistic–like symptoms,
Autoimmune Disease (Lupus/Mixed Connective Tissue Disease), Back pain,
Bacterial Vaginosis, Bladder issues, Bleeding gums, Blindness, Bloating,
Blood Sugar Issues, Bloody stools, Brain fog, Brain Inflammation, Brain
lesions, Bronchitis, Cervical cancer, Chemical sensitivity, Chest pains,
Convulsions, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Constipation, Cytomegalovirus (CMV),
Death, Degenerative disk disease, Dehydration, Depression, Diabetes,
Diarrhea, Dizziness, Dyslexia, Dysplasia, Early Onset of Menopause, Enlarged
fallopian tubes, Enlarged liver, Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), Extreme pain in
the tailbone area, Fainting, Fatigue, Fertility problems, Fever, Fever
blisters, Fibromyalgia, Food allergies, Gallbladder issues, Genital Warts,
Gray film on teeth, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Hair growth in strange places,
Hair loss, Hallucinations, Hand/Leg Weakness, Hashimoto’s Disease, Head
pressure, Headache, Hearing loss (Temporary/Permanent), Hearing sensitivity,
Heart Palpitations, Heart arrhythmia, High levels of metals in blood: aluminium,
mercury, Hot/Cold Intolerance, HPV, Infertility, Insomnia, Itching, IUD
discomfort, Joint pain, Kidney Failure, Kidney issues, Knee pain, Leaky Gut
Syndrome, Light sensitivity, Lip spots, Liver Failure, Loss of bladder
control, Lupus, Memory Loss (short-term/long-term), Menstrual cycle changes,
Metallic taste in mouth, Migraines, Miscarriage, Mood Swings, Moles,
Mononucleosis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), MS-like symptoms, Muscle aches,
Muscle spasms, Muscle tension, Nausea, Neurological reactions to fungal
metabolites, Neurological symptoms , Night sweats, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,
Numbness, Other types of cancer, Ovarian failure, Paleness, Paralysis,
Pancreatitis, PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), Pelvic Inflammatory
Disease (PID), Pelvic pain, Personality changes, Pins/Needles in Extremities,
Pleural effusion, Pneumonia, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
(Orthostatic Intolerance), Random twitching of extremities Rash, Reynaud’s
Phenomenon (loss of blood circulation to hands and/or feet), Regression,
Rheumatoid arthritis, Ruptured ovarian cysts, Seizures, Sensitivity to
commercially processed citric acid, MSG, sulfur and other additives, Severe
nerve pain syndrome, Shortness of breath, Sleep Apnea, Slurred speech, Smell
sensitivity, Sore throat, Sound sensitivity w/Anxiety, Stomach ache, Stomach
pain, Sudden drops in blood pressure, Swelling/Edema, Swollen lymph nodes,
Thyroid Issues, Thrombosis Toothaches/Teeth Changes, Tremors: hand and/or
leg, Uterine spasms, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Vision loss
(Temporary/permanent), Vision Problems – abnormal pupillary
function/dilation, Vomiting blood, Weight gain or loss (20 – 30 lbs)
Keep in
mind, a report to the VAERS system does not mean the symptoms were caused by
the vaccine administered before the new medical condition appeared. A report
to the VAERS does not mean the new medical condition is NOT causally
associated with the vaccine either. VAERS is simply an ‘early warning’
system. It is up to the CDC and FDA to examine the reports to determine whether
or not a safety signal exists.
Any
reasonable person looking at the data would struggle to understand how the
CDC can recommend the addition of HPV vaccines to the cervical cancer
prevention protocol when there is such disparity between potential adverse
events?
Any
reasonable person would wonder how the CDC can recommend HPV vaccines as a
good strategy for cancer prevention when pap smears have already reduced the
cervical cancer rates so significantly without all of these potential risks,
not to mention at a much lower cost to individuals and society?
Let’s examine the
CDC’s mission statement
“For over 60 years,
CDC has been dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life
through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability. We are
committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the
leading causes of death and disability, thereby ensuring a long, productive,
healthy life for all people.”
CDC claims they have
the following Core Values (in their own words):
·
Accountability — as diligent stewards of public trust
and public funds, we act decisively and compassionately in service to the
people’s health. We ensure that our research and our services are based on
sound science and meet real public needs to achieve our public health goals.
·
Respect — we respect and understand our
interdependence with all people, both inside the agency and throughout the
world, treating them and their contributions with dignity and valuing
individual and cultural diversity. We are committed to achieving a diverse
workforce at all levels of the organization.
·
Integrity — we are honest and ethical in all we
do. We will do what we say. We prize scientific integrity and professional
excellence.
Is the CDC living up
to its mission statement?
CDC
officials know continued pap screening is recommended by both HPV vaccine
manufacturers, despite vaccination status because there are high-risk HPV
genotypes not targeted by either Gardasil or Cervarix.
The CDC
knows there are no reported deaths or permanent injuries reported after pap
smears.
The CDC
officials know or should know all of the facts outlined above.
Medical
consumers need to ask themselves:
Has the CDC abandoned
its mission in an effort to promote potentially dangerous vaccines of
questionable benefit?
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