Oppose HPV Vaccine Mandate

TSB is a big proponent of keeping a watchful eye on Big Pharma and their attack on the most vulnerable...our children. We here at TSB strongly disagree with Rick Perry's HPV Vaccine Mandate for 6th grade girls. We are not on the side of those who oppose the forced vaccine who claim the mandate will give young women ever more reason to have careless sex. We find this to be complete and total hogwash. The fact is there is questionable safety to recommend making this vaccine mandatory as it is less than one year on the market. The fact that Merck, not the vaccine community, has had an aggressive role in pushing for this mandate should scare the shit out us of all, especially for a drug that is yet to be proven. The financial gain for Merck is astronomical especially for a company plagued by lawsuits for withholding critical safety information to doctors and patients about their popular painkiller drug Vioxx. What the hell was Perry thinking?

We urge all to write Governor Rick Perry and your local state representative and oppose the forced HPV Vaccine on girls in Texas.

February 5, 2007

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711-2424

Dear Governor Perry,

I am writing to urge you to rescind your Executive Order to mandate HPV vaccine to girls entering 6th grade. As a mother of a four year old girl I strongly oppose your order. What was your rush to sign this mandate? Why not let this go through the legislature as a bill so it could by discussed and debated. Lawmakers should be able to hear from doctors, scientists and patients before such a sweeping mandate is ordered.

There is too little long term safety and efficacy data, especially in young girls, and too little labeling information on contraindications for the state to mandate this vaccine. Gardasil has only been in use since June 2006 and there are already adverse events filed with VAERS. Co-administration of Gardasil with other vaccines has not been studied. An adviser to the American Academy of Pediatrics said he thought it was premature to recommend making it mandatory. "I think it's too early," said Joseph A. Bocchini, who chairs the academy's committee on infectious diseases. "This is a new vaccine. It would be wise to wait until we have additional information about the safety of the vaccine." The duration of immunity from the vaccine is unknown. In clinical trials, the vaccine’s effectiveness was only followed for four years. We know from the CDC that the incubation for the HPV virus is about twenty years and the median age of women diagnosed with cervical cancer is forty-eight. Therefore, no claims to proof of cervical cancer prevention by vaccinating preteen girls should be made. I do not want my daughter to be an “experiment” for the HPV vaccine.

I feel your order is a huge abuse of power. Many residents of Texas are not in support of your mandate. It must be rescinded and allowed to pass through the proper legislative channels.

Sincerely,


Truth Serum Blog