A cancer vaccine that triggers more problems

Michigan In the United States, a particular drug and its medical research findings have thrown people in to two groups; those that believe the drug cures and another that believes it kills.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA had approved a vaccine for cervical cancer about two years ago. The vaccine was Gardasil and it had been approved for use as a vaccine to used on girls aged nine to 26.

According to WHO, 90,000 new cases of cervical cancer are detected every year in the country and a furious hunt was on to find either a vaccine or a cure.The US FDA, in June 2006 approved Gardasil for use in girls from the age of nine to 26.

But the drug has proven to have severe side effects that maim or kill.

In the case of Taquaria Williams, a kid who received the drug, everything changed last December after she received the vaccine. Taquaria’s mother, Matia says, 'She's never been sick. She's never been in the hospital - nothing - until the Gardasil shot.”

So the drug that was touted as a preventive of 70per cent cases of cervical cancer, gave the child pain and disease, says the mother.

Two months after she got the injection, Taquaria got rashes on her arms and face, leaving scars and swelling all over.

The girl suffers from joint pains and poor blood circulation on fingertips.

Her doctor says that Taquaria suffers from an autoimmune disorder, possibly triggered by the Gardasil vaccine. But the charge is hard to prove says the doctor.

According to a Federal tracking system called VAERS, there have been 9,749 adverse reaction cases following vaccination by Gardasil. Shocking yet is the fact that there have been reports of 21 deaths.

The National Vaccine Information Centre in the US, also says the side effects of Gardasil cannot be ignored- the aluminum content in the vaccine can cause nerve cell, can damage the brain or even cause death.

About 83 per cent among those who got Gardasil complained of chronic joint pain.

But MERCK, Gardasil’s manufacturer points out that these are anecdotal cases. In an official statement issued, company officials write, “...does not necessarily mean that the vaccine caused or contributed to the event.'”

While the debate is on, a conservative watchdog group called Judicial Watch, which has been studying Gardasil safety, says that the parents’ concerns about the vaccine are not unfounded.