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HPV Cancer vaccine programme suspended after 4 girls die
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has told Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat to immediately suspend the cervical cancer control vaccination programme for girls. The programme is part of a two-year study to look into the utility of a vaccine in public health programmes and acceptability of Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine made by Merck. Gardasil, available in medical stores across the country, is marketed in India by MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd.
The programme was marred by controversy after four deaths and complications among 120 girls were reported after vaccination. The girls complained of stomach disorders, epilepsy, headaches and early menarche. Women activists fear the vaccine may impact the mental health of girls who have shown no signs of distress so far.
Health ministry sources said the vaccination programme is being conducted by Gardasil, jointly with PATH, a Seattle-based NGO, ICMR and the two state governments. About 32,000 girls, aged 10-14, were to be tested in the study.
ICMR chief Dr VM Katoch clarified ICMR was only a technical partner, with an advisory role, in the project. But Katoch said they were checking out who was at fault.
Questioning the study, CPM leader Brinda Karat said: “How has the government embarked on the study of giving three injections to the girls when it is also planning a massive multi-centric dose determination study to see if two doses will suffice?”
For a drug to be administered to children, Karat said, it has to go through stages of clinical trial, including phase 3 adult clinical trials. With Gardasil, only one trial has been carried out with a small sample of 110 girls, which has followed up with them for a month after completion of vaccination and that too only to look at the immune response post-vaccination, Karat said. The vaccine has also been approved for adult women aged 27, Karat said, without any trials on them.
Karat also alleged scientific logic and ethical guidelines have been violated at each step during drug and vaccine trials.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cancer-vaccine-programme-suspended-after-4-girls-die_1368681
Too bad we can not outsource our FDA to India.
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Even one death is too many. No one should have to die taking a medication that is supposed to be helping. Like I’ve always said, we are nothing but guinea pigs. Then when someone dies they suspend the “study” until further testing. Hello!!
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Haha no kidding Lou! Back when I had tv, I remember the ads for that vaccine being played 24/7. Wonder what those girls who got the shots have in store for them. As it stands, NO ONE KNOWS.
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Sara Reply:
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 pm
I can’t remember at this point in time who gave me the info but I think approximately 50 young women in the US have died as a result of getting the full Gardasil injection set.
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Thank goodness for the Internet or we wouldn’t know about this!
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I think that corporate greed is behind most if not all of these “experimental trials”. It includes multinational corporations that want to control our lives with their so called beneficial products that have their greed behind it all. Take a look at “The world according to Monsanto” for a start into how they want to make all farmers buy their Roundup Ready GMO seeds without any alternatives. Just start by entering “dangers of” into your “search” followed by whatever you want to check out such as soy,canola oil, splenda,equal, high fructose corn syrup,or any other product that we’re told is either good for us or said to be ok’d by the FDA especially. Good Hunting!
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I’m 22 years old and ever since the Guardisil vaccine came out, I’ve always been wary about it. My step mom told me that I should get vaccinated and I told her that I didn’t want to because the vaccine was so new, I had a feeling there would be complications. Good thing I listened to myself because I don’t want to be part of that statistic of girls dying. On the other hand though, my thirteen year old sister has recieved all three shots and she’s fine. She hasn’t had any complications. Well at least not yet…
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