REGRET Statement on Journal.ie “FactCheck” feature of 11/09/2016

12/09/2016


 

FACTS NOT CHECKED from Journal.ie “FactCheck” feature [11/09/2016]:

FactCheck Claims: Repeated studies and clinical trials have shown HPV vaccines to be very safe, and potential allergic reactions and possible side effects to be extremely rare

The Facts say: Merck disclosed what may indeed be close to the true rate of serious adverse events people are suffering after the use of Gardasil. During clinical trials for the new generation; Gardasil 9, Gardasil was used for the control group. Merck stated the rate of serious (requiring at least hospitalisation) adverse events after Gardasil was 2.5%; after Gardasil 9 the rate was 2.3%

The 2013 cervical cancer diagnosis rate in Ireland is 11.22/100,000. According to Merck’s stated experience there should be approximately 2,500 serious adverse events per 100,000 Gardasil users. Verify Ireland's Cervical Cancer rate here;

Verify Serious Adverse Events rate during clinical trials here; (at the bottom of page 7.)

FactCheck Claims: Repeated studies and clinical trials have shown HPV vaccines like Gardasil to be very effective in preventing the virus which leads to most cervical cancers.

The Facts say: HPV 16/18 are the high risk types reported to be responsible for 70% of cervical cancers globally. This study published in 2007 indicates those two types only account for 32% of the high-risk HPV types prevalent in Ireland. Verify here;

FactCheck Claims: There is no evidence to show that the illnesses highlighted by the group REGRET were caused by the HPV vaccine.

The Facts say:: Without an investigation, there no credible scientific evidence proving the new illnesses experienced after Gardasil administration were NOT caused by the vaccine. REGRET parents have simply stated all along that there is enough temporal association exhibited to warrant a serious investigation. Regardless of cause, the root cause and treatment plans, appropriate for the illnesses they are experiencing, must be established.

FactCheck Claims: : The rate of cervical cancer among women in Ireland is one in 115 (0.87%), according to the latest figures (for 2013).

The Facts say:: The annual (2013) cervical cancer diagnosis rate of 11.22/100,000 reflects the true incidence more clearly. The 0.87% figure reflects risk spread over a lifespan period of approx 80 years for 1 in 115 women. Verify Ireland's Cervical Cancer rate here;

FactCheck Claims: A 2014 Meta Analyses evaluated the results of 15 previous scientific studies – 10 randomized control tests and five observational studies. It found the effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing HPV 16 and 18 (the two most serious strains) ranged from 83% to 94%.

The Facts say: The meta-analysis evaluated efficacy measurements against HPV infections (90% of which resolve on their own without medical intervention.); CIN 2 lesions and CIN 3 lesions. According to WHO only 1% of CIN1, 1.5% of CIN2 and 12% of CIN3 progress to invasive cervical cancer. This is in developing countries. In countries where pap smears are routinely administered the percentages should be much lower. Consequently, the ‘efficacy’ measurements may, or may not, have anything to do with future cancer prevention. (Verify in Chapter 2  of the IARC’s COLPOSCOPY AND TREATMENT OF CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA: A BEGINNER’S MANUAL)

Even if HPV vaccines are 90% effective in preventing HPV 16/18 infections – that only helps 32% of those in Ireland infected with high-risk HPV.

FactCheck attempts to discredit any scientific studies questioning HPV vaccine safety by simply repeating statements from global regulatory agencies - while ignoring questions over regulatory agency independence from Pharmaceutical company influence.

See Complaint to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), by the independent Danish Cochrane Institute over maladministration at the EMA

REGRET STATEMENT

Last week we explained the following to the Journal.ie in response to communication regarding their upcoming “FactCheck” feature":

We are a support group representing over 400 girls whose lives changed in the direct aftermath of the HPV vaccination. It causes us great concern that the HSE withheld risk information from the public that should be given to parents so that they can make an informed decision on whether or not to give this vaccine to their children. This is the principle of ‘informed consent’ which is a basic human right in healthcare.

We are not scientists, we are parents. We question the safety of the vaccine, but without the appropriate independent investigative tools, we cannot establish the causation link. We are being conveniently told that our cases are coincidental. Despite the evidence: girls sick with symptoms reflected in a manufacturer Patient Information Leaflet, after receiving this drug. In no other area of medicine bar vaccination is there such resistance to acknowledge side effects.

Our girls are giving their testimonies, so that we can seek out the government's help in establishing what exactly happened to them and why they presented with the symptoms listed as possible side effects, on the Patient Information Leaflet, supplied by the manufacturer Merck. In return, the HSE is consistently dismissing the girls without investigating them individually or as a group.

We are asking for an independent investigation, preferably by international scientists, so that we can get answers and help. We live with our regret of contributing to our daughter’s life-changing symptoms, by signing the HPV vaccine consent form – blindfolded – every day.

We suggest that rather than the onus be on the parents of girls who become ill – with a repeated pattern of listed side effects in the direct aftermath of a vaccine – to prove causation, it should be on those who administer the vaccine to prove no causation. Surely a health service fulfilling its duty to patients – First, do no harm – would want to investigate why and how 400 girls suddenly started presenting with the same symptoms, at the same age, right across the country, including seizures and ovarian failure.

We requested of Journal.ie: “We are asking the media to look at all the facts and listen without prejudice so that our girls can get the help they need. This is not an issue that is going away, we are getting emails and calls every day which is an indication that there are hundreds more cases. This can no longer be ignored and dismissed as a coincidence.” As parents we are shocked to learn how our response to the Journal.ie could possibly have generated such an unbalanced feature, with such obvious flaws in its research methods.

Please see following links to data on various adverse events after HPV vaccines from published scientific papers:


 


 

If your child has suffered health issues that you think may have been triggered by Gardasil, and you wish to get in contact with other parents who have had a similar experience, please contact us at: