Health

HPV Vaccine Could Come With Bad Side Effects

DENVER (CBS4) ― There are new questions being raised about an immunization given to teenage girls to prevent cervical cancer. More than 8,000 reports of side effects have now been reported from Gardasil.

The side effects range from minor, such as nausea or getting lightheaded after the vaccine, all the way to paralysis and maybe even blood clots causing death.

Gardasil was approved in the U.S. in 2006. Since then more than 8 million doses have been given, some to girls as young as age nine.

The drug has been recommended for pre-teen and teenage girls. The vaccine prevents infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), a family of viruses that can cause cervical cancer. The vaccine is given in a series of three shots and has been called safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But now there are reports of close to 9,000 bad reactions including seizures, paralysis and blood clots.

Amanda Radner got so sick after her vaccine she needed morphine to control pain. Her parents are both doctors and they blame Gardasil.

"She's gone from being a competitive varsity lacrosse player in high school to someone who is chronically ill," Dr. Scott Radner said.

Jessica Vega was 13 years old when she received her Gardasil vaccine. Soon after she became paralyzed and needed a year of wheelchair, braces and therapy to get her back on her feet.

Brittany Bell of Florida got a vaccine and later developed paralysis as well.

So did Jenny of California.

"As the father of two other daughters, you can be fairly certain we are not going to administer Gardasil to any of our other children," Radner said.

"The question is -- are these kinds of cases caused by Gardasil or just coincidence?" CBS4 Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida said. "The answer is needed quickly as more states push to make Gardasil a mandatory vaccine."

Each year more than 11,000 American women develop cervical cancer and 4,000 will die.

It's believed Gardasil can protect against 70 percent of the viruses that cause the disease, so it's not complete protection.

"I am a firm believer in immunizations but have to admit this one never made my list of must-have vaccines," Hnida said. "I'd like to see more research done especially if some are considering making this mandatory."

Merck, Gardasil's manufacturer, worked politically to get some laws passed but have since stopped.

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