How safe is the cervical cancer jab?

[Guest guest]

How safe is the cervical cancer jab? Five teenagers reveal their alarming

stories

It has been hailed as the wonder jab that will prevent thousands of young women

suffering the same terrible fate as Jade Goody. But as parents across Britain

rush to have their daughters vaccinated, others are adamant that it has

triggered alarming side-effects...

By Porter

Last updated at 1:32 AM on 06th April 2009

Steel is flicking through last year's diary, trying to pinpoint when this

nightmare began. It was the summer holidays when she first noticed that Carly,

her eldest daughter, was seriously out of sorts.

'Anyone who knew Carly before will tell you what a chatterbox she was. She had

so much energy she drove us mad. But suddenly, she was a different girl.. It was

heartbreaking to watch,' says .

'I struggled to wake her in the mornings and she barely spoke all day.'

 

Carly Steel (left), 13, suffered blackouts and Ashleigh Cave (right), 12, is

partially paralysed

By August, 13-year-old Carly, was barely ever awake. Consumed with exhaustion

and complaining of dizziness, she was confined to the bed or the sofa, and had

to grip the furniture to steady herself whenever she took a few steps.

'And that's when the blackouts started,' says . Several times she found

Carly collapsed after what she described as a 'split-second blackout'.

Her joints ached so much that washing her own hair was unmanageable. She has not

attended school since September, and considers it 'a good day' if she manages to

walk to her grandmother's house at the end of the street.

Her mother says that within weeks she was transformed from a vivacious, sociable

girl into 'an old lady'. Baffled doctors have diagnosed her with vertigo,

labyrinthitis (a balance disorder), and even chronic fatigue syndrome.

Then she was diagnosed with depression and sent for counselling when one doctor

thought her illness might be psychosomatic.

That's when Carly, who describes her daily existence as 'miserable', and her

parents, , 35, and Stuart, 50, lost patience.

'Carly was getting worse and I felt powerless, so I did some research and

couldn't believe what I found,' says .

She discovered, on the internet, that Carly's symptoms tallied almost exactly

with a list of adverse reactions to Gardasil, the American version of the

cervical cancer vaccine.

Could it have been coincidence that just weeks before Carly first showed signs

of illness, she had been injected Cervarix  -  a similar vaccine made by

GlaxoKline. Her school had taken part in the trial that preceded the

national roll-out of the Government's vaccination programme, targeting 12- to

18-year-old girls. 

A report released by the drug safety watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare

products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) last month showed that, of the 700,000

schoolgirls vaccinated last year, more than 1,300 of them had officially

reported an adverse reaction.

They ranged from minor complaints, such as sore arms and faintness, to the more

worrying  -  convulsions, sight problems, nausea, muscle weakness, dizziness,

numbness in the limbs and pain in the joints.

Admittedly, that is a tiny proportion of the girls who have upped their

protection against a dreadful disease. But is by no means the only parent

in the country to believe that Cervarix is not safe. 

 

(left), 13, has been 'ill for months', while Chandler

(right), 12, has chronic fatigue

Many other parents have seen their daughters fall ill within days of receiving

the jab. And, like , they know how difficult it is to report a suspected

adverse reaction to this vaccination. Their stories beg the question of how many

girls may have been ill as a result.

Last week came the news of a move to vaccinate boys too. Although they can't

contract cervical cancer, they can contract the human papillomavirus (HPV) and

pass it on.

Dr Anne Szarewski from Cancer Research UK says it was likely that boys would be

vaccinated to ensure widespread immunity, and remove the stigma associated with

the injection, dubbed by some as 'the promiscuity jab' because it vaccinates

against a sexually transmitted infection. 

In some parts of the UK the uptake rate is almost at 90 per cent  -  but

vaccinating boys too, would make up the shortfall.

says it took endless phone calls and visits to the doctor before she

heard any mention of the MHRA's 'yellow card' scheme. The scheme monitors

adverse drug reactions and receives reports from healthcare professionals and

now allows reporting by patients too.

Every time I mention HPV, the shutters come down. I've been treated like an

idiot. That's why we didn't have a yellow card submitted until February,' she

says.

By then, the nationwide vaccination programme was well underway. It came in last

September, promising 70 per cent protection against cervical cancer to every

girl under 18 by 2011.

It works by creating an immunity against the two strains of the HPV virus which

are responsible for 70 per cent of cervical tumours.

'It made cervical cancer 'one less thing to worry about,' says .

But amid the enthusiasm for Cervarix, it was hard to hear the dissenters  - 

those who questioned injecting every prepubescent girl with a drug that had been

tested primarily on girls aged 15 to 24.

Little was known about how long the vaccine's protection would last and whether

booster shots were necessary. Would a girl injected at 13 still be protected at

18 when she was more likely to be sexually active?

Others wondered whether the Cervarix programme was worth doing at all. Millions

of women all over the world carry the HPV virus, and in the majority of cases

the immune system renders it harmless. 

While manufacturer and ministers alike claim the vaccine could save 700 lives a

year, in real terms that accounts for just 0.1 per cent of the girls vaccinated

in 2008.

Jade Goody lost her battle with cervical cancer on Mothers Day

Campaigners say the money would be better spent lowering the age at which women

are eligible for free cervical smears, from 25 to 20. Cervarix does not reduce

the need for regular check-ups and there are 30 per cent of cervical cancers

that it offers no protection against.

Now mothers such as are left wondering if the risks outweigh the

benefits.

So convinced is she that the vaccine is to blame for Carly's illness that she

won't allow her younger daughter Katy, 11, to have it. When she contacted JABS,

the vaccine support group, she found she was not the only mother in this

position.

Cheryl Cave's 12-year-old daughter Ashleigh was struck down by a mystery illness

within minutes of having the HPV vaccine, and developed partial paralysis. She

has been in Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, since last October.

Immediately after the injection, she suffered dizziness and headaches, then

blackouts. She was briefly admitted to hospital, where doctors gave the initial

diagnosis of 'vertigo and generalised myalgia. Probably due to recent

vaccinations'.

But when her condition worsened and she lost the feeling in her legs, doctors

refused to link the vaccine to her illness. They maintain that she has

demonstrated 'no pathological reaction' to the jab. But, despite CT and MRI

scans, and physiotherapy, they are no closer to finding a medical explanation.

'The doctors say it's all in her mind,' says Cheryl.

Meanwhile, Ashleigh complains of pain in her spine whenever she moves, confining

her to hospital for months.

'I'm practically living in the hospital. It's so stressful seeing her like

that,' says Cheryl.

Cheryl adds: 'I told them it started with the HPV, but they will not mention her

illness and the vaccine in the same sentence. They say it's nothing to do with

HPV. If it's not, then it's one hell of a coincidence.'

But coincidence is exactly what the experts say it is.

Dr Loretta Brabin, reader in women's health at St 's Hospital, Manchester,

was the principal investigator in the trial of Cervarix, of which Carly Steel

was a part.

She insists that as the vaccine contains no live HPV virus, it is safe.

'It artificially mimics the HPV virus well enough to make the body produce the

antibodies that guard against it.

'Vaccines generally contain adjuvants which enhance the effect of the vaccine,

but these are well tested, so the risk of a serious reaction is low,' she says.

'That's not to say that reactions never occur. If you give injection doses to a

large enough population, there will always be reports of adverse reactions. Most

are not serious and can be explained by an underlying condition, or the fact

that the person happened to get ill at the time of the injection.

'When a reported reaction is worse than would be considered normal, it is most

likely to be a coincidence. And if the agency that monitors these reactions

considered problems were occurring more often than normal, it would consider

stopping the vaccine programme.'

And a spokesman for Glaxo-Kline says: 'We understand that every adverse

reaction related to vaccination is distressing for the girl and family involved

and we take these reports seriously. We work closely with the MHRA to monitor

any reactions to the vaccination.

'The majority of adverse reactions reported have been related to the process of

injection, rather than to the type of vaccine, i.e. the most common side effect

is soreness at the site of injection, which you would expect to see in any

vaccination programme.

'We remain confident in the safety profile of Cervarix which was extensively

tested through clinical trials and has been licensed for use in girls and women

in the UK.'

But that is of little comfort to Chandler from Surrey, whose 12-year-old

daughter has just been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Her

illness began a week after her first injection in September, and she has barely

attended school since November.

'I know I can't prove the connection, but I'm as certain as I can be,' says

.

had the second in a course of three Cervarix jabs in October. She felt ill

and lethargic following the first dose. But after the second, her condition

deteriorated. She was listless and her throat felt, and still feels, as if

something was stuck in it. Antibiotics did nothing to ease it.

'It took me a while to make the connection to Cervarix, but once I had it all

made sense,' says , 53, a part-time administrator.

'I panicked and thought, " What's happened to her? What have they done? " '

In recent weeks, her health has improved enough for her to attend school for

nine hours a week, but it looks unlikely that she will be back full-time for

many months.

While 's doctors have never said they believe the vaccination is the cause,

they have not ruled it out.

's doctor advised against her having the last injection of the course.

' was worried about missing it,' says , 'The doctor explained that as

HPV is sexually transmitted, you can reduce your risk of contracting it by

avoiding unprotected sex, when the time comes.'

But adds: 'She didn't say 's illness was linked to the HPV vaccine in

particular  -  any vaccine could potentially have had the same effect.'

is now in contact with , whose daughter , 13, attends the

same school as and has also missed weeks of school through illness.

After her second jab in November, she developed a painful sore throat.

'She said she had numbness in her arms,' says . 'She was very pale and was

so tired she could barely get out of bed.

'I made her go to school, but she was always in the sick bay.

'I have asked her GP repeatedly to note my concern over the vaccine, but they

say her illness could be caused by anything. She's through the worst of it now,

but to hear that her friend has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue

syndrome is obviously worrying.' 

 

Leah Mann, 18, now has seizures

And it's not just 12- and 13-year-old girls that may have been affected.

Eighteen-year-old Leah Mann, from Nottinghamshire had her first injection in

January.

Ten days later, when she was at work in a fish and chip shop, she felt unwell

and collapsed. When she came to, she had no feeling from the waist down.

'It was terrifying,' she says. 'I went to hospital and while I was waiting to

see a doctor the feeling in my right leg came back. But it took two weeks for it

to return to my left leg.'

More worryingly she now suffers full-blown seizures. Although doctors are at a

loss to explain why she has developed what appears to be epilepsy, they are more

inclined to believe it is associated with the antidepressant medication she had

been taking (with no adverse sideeffects for more than a year) than with the

vaccine.

'I've had my driving licence taken away and I've had to give up my college

course,' she explains.

Leah had been studying equine management, but, because of her seizures, the

college's insurance can't cover her horseriding. She will remain housebound

until her specialists find the right medication to control her condition.

'It's five weeks since we last saw her neurologist, and she has had 30 seizures

in that time,' says her mother, Tracey, 42.

Leah adds: 'Looking back, I felt lucky to have had the injection. But why has my

doctor not allowed me to have the second and third doses?'

While GlaxoKline says that 'Cervarix had to undergo rigorous testing with

large numbers of people in numerous studies' and was 'found to be generally well

tolerated', questions over the safety and efficacy of Cervarix remain.

Dr Halvorsen, author of The Truth about Vaccines, says: 'The HPV

vaccines have been introduced at breakneck speed and, in my view, without

adequate testing.

It is already the most profitable vaccine ever made and the worry is that it is

being introduced too rapidly, for the financial gain of its manufacturers and

with too little regard for the health of our young women.

'These parents may never know for certain whether the vaccine caused their

daughters' disabilities.

'I would not encourage my own daughter to have it. At the moment we know far too

little to be sure  -  and we know far too little to roll it out on a national

scale.'

However, those who know the devastation that cervical cancer can cause are in no

doubt that the benefits outweigh the possible risks.

Meanwhile, Music, director of the cervical cancer charity, Jo's Trust

says: 'Quite simply, the jab could save your daughters' lives,'

Even among Cervarix's critics, you will not find anyone who disagrees with this

sentiment. But those whose health has deteriorated since they armed themselves

against the disease would warn against the blind acceptance of a wonder-jab

 

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport