These two articles don't speak to the concerns I have heard expressed, which cause me pause and more particularly my wife, but there is considerable valuable data. peaceably ...

Here's an article from The Washington Times, followed by a second from LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON, Associated Press WriterSat Feb 3, 6:26 AM ET ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - VACCINE CENTER ISSUES WARNING By Gregory Lopes THE WASHINGTON TIMES ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - The National Vaccine Information Center yesterday warned state officials to investigate the safety of a breakthrough cancer vaccine as Texas became the first state to make the vaccine mandatory for school-age girls.

Negative side effects of Gardasil, a new Merck vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, are being reported in the District of Columbia and 20 states, including Virginia. The reactions range from loss of consciousness to seizures.

"Young girls are experiencing severe headaches, dizziness, temporary loss of vision and some girls have lost consciousness during what appear to be seizures," said Vicky Debold, health policy analyst for the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit watchdog organization that was created in the early 1980s to prevent vaccine injuries.

Following federal approval of the vaccine in July 2006, a storm of legislation was introduced across the nation that would make the vaccine mandatory in schools. The District and Virginia are part of a group of at least 17 states considering such legislation. A measure had been introduced in Maryland, but it was shelved last week over concerns about the mandatory language in the bill.

Yesterday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed an order making Texas the first state to require the vaccine. Girls ages 11 and 12 would receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before entering the sixth grade starting in September 2008.

The American Cancer Society estimates there were 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer in the United States in 2006. The District's cancer control center estimates a total of cervical cancer cases in the city last year, and the American Cancer Society estimates that last year Maryland and Virginia each had 210 cases of cervical center.

Merck began marketing Gardasil last year after the Food and Drug Administration approved it for females ages 9 to 26. The vaccine is the first of its kind to build immunity against two strains of HPV, which lead to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases in the United States.

The vaccine is not effective in men, who can get cancer from other strains of HPV.

Its side effects were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a federal reporting system for consumers to notify federal regulators of bad reactions to medications. The adverse events began being reported in July 2006, when an advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended girls ages 11 and 12 receive the series of shots.

The types of side effects reported are not cause for alarm, according to the American Cancer Society.

"We have not been informed of an instance that would call into question the overall safety of the vaccine," said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and cervical cancer control at the American Cancer Society, adding that about 70 similar events had been known in October 2006.

Likewise, the CDC will not alter its approval of the vaccine despite the number of adverse events revealed through the reporting system.

"A report to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System does not necessarily mean the adverse event was serious or that it was caused by the vaccine," said CDC spokesman Curtis Allen. "This vaccine has been tested around the world and has been found to be safe and effective."

Merck is heavily promoting the vaccine through its salespeople imploring doctors to provide it and running TV ads urging young women to get vaccinated so there will be "One Less" cancer patient.

But physicians disagree with public health officials over whether Gardasil is the panacea for cancer. Clayton Young, an obstetrician/ gynecologist in Texas, objects to Merck's claim that Gardasil will prevent cervical cancer.

"There is no proof Gardasil will stop cervical cancer," he said. "They haven't been studying it long enough to make that claim."

Merck spokesman Chris Loder said the vaccine is effective for five years and the Whitehouse Station, N.J., drug maker is not sure how long afterward the vaccine will work. Critics point out that an additional booster shot may be necessary.

Advocates for a mandatory vaccine say that although the vaccine does not prevent all causes of cervical cancer, Gardasil is an effective vaccine against the most prevalent cause and therefore is a correct public health measure.

Gardasil is delivered in three separate injections that cost $120 to $150 per injection. Blue Cross Blue Shield, an omnipresent health insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region, covers the vaccine for girls in the federally recommended age groups.

Merck revenue from Gardasil reached $155 million for the fourth quarter of 2006 and $255 million for the entire year.

Cherrie Webb wrote:

Texas Gov. orders anti-cancer vaccine http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20070203/ ap_on_he_ me/cervical_ cancer_16 By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON, Associated Press WriterSat Feb 3, 6:26 AM ET Some conservatives and parents' rights groups worry that requiring girls to get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way they raise their children. By using an executive order that bypassed the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry - himself a conservative - on Friday avoided such opposition, making Texas the first state to mandate that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the virus. Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV. Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21. Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio. "The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer," he said. Opponents say Perry should have let the Legislature decide whether to impose a mandate. "He's circumventing the will of the people," said Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education, a citizens group that fought for the right to opt out of other vaccine requirements. "There are bills filed. There's no emergency except in the boardrooms of Merck, where this is failing to gain the support that they had expected." Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Conservative groups say such provisions still interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children. The executive order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one. The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active. Merck could generate billions in sales if Gardasil - at $360 for the three-shot regimen - were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects. The New Jersey-based drug company is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country. Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government. The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign. A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government. Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group's president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.