Gardasil: Cervical Cancer Vaccine Linked to Deaths, Severe Complications

Gardasil, the vaccine given to more than 40 million girls and young women worldwide to protect against cervical cancer, has been associated with dozens of patient deaths and severe complications ranging from the formation of blood clots, fainting spells, and allergic reactions. Since its approval in 2006, Gardasil has been blamed for at least 47 deaths and thousands of reports of adverse reactions.

While the risks of developing cervical cancer are immense, the adverse effects seen in some Gardasil users have prompted some prominent medical experts to question whether the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks.

Gardasil, made by Merck & Co., protects against the four most common strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for about 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts in the United States. Gardasil is administered in three injections given over time to girls as young as nine years old.

Common adverse reactions reported in women who have received a Gardasil vaccination include:

• Fainting spells

• Dizziness

• Guillain-Barre syndrome

• Weakness, paralysis, and numbness and tingling of the limbs

• Severe allergic reactions

• Formation of blood clots

• Migraines

• Swelling of the face, jaw, and wrists

• Inability to walk

Gardasil Warnings Issued

Gardasil has been the subject of many official warnings, product recalls, and medical research findings in recent years.

In June 2009, the Food and Drug Administration ordered Gardasil to carry stronger warnings about the risk of fainting spells after receiving the shots.

About 76,000 doses from a single batch of Gardasil were recalled in February 2009 in Spain after two girls there suffered severe reactions to the drug. The girls, both 14, had to be hospitalized for convulsions but later recovered after treatment. In 2008, a study of Gardasil’s use found three confirmed severe allergic reactions in girls and young women who received the vaccine in Australia.

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