HPV Fears Circulating

Fears about the HPV vaccine have been circulating on the Internet again, in large part because of an article that was originally published in 2009. The negative publicity that the vaccine has been receiving scares parents and is potentially very harmful to those that go unvaccinated.

In 2009, Dr. Diane Harper, one of the lead scientists that developed the HPV vaccine was invited to speak at the 4^th International Public Conference on Vaccination. Although the name sounds reputable, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), one of the oldest and best-established anti-vaccine groups, holds the conference. While speaking at the conference, Dr. Harper made some comments about Gardasil (an HPV vaccine) that were misconstrued in an article by Natural News. This original article has re-circulated many times, causing fear in parents.

Dr. Harper clarified her statements and tried to correct the misconceptions. Her recent writings, including a 2012 peer-reviewed article, show that she is very supportive of Cervarix, and her comments at the conference may have been based on the fact that she saw more promise with Cervarix than Gardasil.

In a blog post on the Skeptical Raptor, the author notes:

Dr. Harper is an advocate for the vaccine, and has remained steadfastly in support of the vaccine over the past few years. She has some nuanced concerns about the cost-effectiveness of the vaccine if women have regular screenings for pre-cancerous cells, but she has never said that it was unsafe or ineffective. And many researchers disagree with her reliance on pre-screening, because even pre-cancerous cells may cause significant issues to reproductive health–in other words, preventing even milder forms of HPV-induced diseases add significantly to the overall benefit of the vaccine…Gardasil saves lives, and Dr. Diane Harper says that.

HPV recently made the news in other areas too. Two young women in Wisconsin, who are sisters, have filed a court case claiming the aluminum in the HPV vaccine caused an autoimmune response that led to premature ovarian failure.

Dr. Elizabeth J. Neary of Madison, Wisconsin counters their claim and states: “The aluminum adjuvant used in the vaccine was used in tetanus vaccines as early as the 1930s and continues to be used today. Aluminum is in our water, food (baking powder, cheese) and medications (antacids). The average daily diet contains 20 times the amount of aluminum contained in this one vaccine. “ She continues to warn that if fewer young women get the HPV vaccine, we will definitely see more young women get cervical cancer.

“The vaccine is spectacularly safe and effective. It’s been used in millions and millions of people around the world with essentially no unexpected or unusual, abnormal or serious affects,” Dr. Thomas Broker of Alabama adds. “The fact that it’s two sisters presumably vaccinated at different times, different batches, yet later coming down with the same problem suggests very much it was likely a genetic bases of that disesase.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 57 million people got the HPV vaccine over the last seven years. They further state that the HPV vaccine will prevent some of the nearly 26,000 new cases of cancers caused each year by HPV. Vaccine Watch urges readers to carefully screen Internet material and check sources, not all information on the Internet is accurate. Parents with concerns about the HPV vaccine should speak with their physician or child’s pediatrician.

Anti-Vaxxer Appointed to FDA Vaccine Committee

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently appointed Stephanie Christner, Doctor of Osteopathy, to the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). Dr. Christner is serving as the voting consumer representative on the twelve-member committee. FDA has charged this committee with reviewing and evaluating vaccine safety and effectiveness. The committee also reviews appropriate use of vaccines and biological products intended for public use, including clinical trial and other data submitted by drug companies seeking licensure of new vaccines.

Vaccine Watch and many other organizations are concerned by the FDA’s choice of Dr. Christner because she is an active advocate against vaccines. She currently serves as a board member for the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), which is an anti-vaccine organization that regularly spreads vaccine misinformation. In 2010 she co-founded a company that specializes in allergy, GMO and preservative-free foods. She also has a clinical practice in psychiatry and neurofeedback.

In 2009, Dr. Christener’s infant daughter died and she blamed vaccines. Vaccine Watch and others are sympathetic in the matchless and devastating loss of a child. However, she appears unmovable in her belief that vaccines caused the death of the child, despite a lack of data to support her belief. Dr. Christener described her ordeal in the anti-vaccination film “The Greater Good;” a movie that has been thoroughly dismantled for being deceptive and misleading. “The Greater Good” is an anti-vaccine propaganda piece and passed on blatant misinformation.

The FDA states that it recruits qualified experts with minimal conflicts of interest but they made a mistake in appointing Dr. Christner to the VRBPAC committee. The FDA further states:

            Members and the chair are selected by the Commissioner or the designee

            from among authorities knowledgeable in the fields of immunology,

molecular biology, rDNA, virology, bacteriology, epidemiology or biostatistics, allergy, preventative medicine, infectious diseases, pediatrics,

microbiology and biochemistry.

Dr. Christner’s appointment to the VRBPAC committee has given false legitimacy to the anti-vaccination position and the long-term effects could be detrimental. As we struggle against the outbreak of preventable disease and blatant propaganda against vaccines, FDA should be even more scrupulous in ensuring the objectivity of their appointees.

Vaccines and The Media

Childhood vaccines have been strongly debated in the media recently, both positively and negatively.

Billboards

The National Vaccination Information Center (NVIC) has posted billboards in Tucson, Arizona; Chicago, Illinois; and Austin, Texas urging parents to check the risk of vaccinations. The non-profit organization believes there are gaps in science and that vaccines can be risky. The billboards were placed in states currently discussing vaccine exemptions.

Arizona is one of twenty states that allow vaccination exemption for personal beliefs. A bill recently failed in the legislature that would have required parents to get a doctor’s signature before exempting children from vaccination. Kathy Malking of the Pima County Health Department believes parents should be informed, but finds fault with the billboards and NVIC website. “It [the website] focuses on all the negatives of vaccines and doesn’t talk about any of the positive aspects and how vaccines have saved many lives,” she states.

Internet

Many websites and blogs spread misinformation, encouraging parents not to vaccinate their children. From Natural News to VacTruth, just running a google search on childhood vaccines brings up many anti-vaccination websites.

VacTruth published a blog post in April that stated the media uses propaganda to condition people to accept vaccines. VacTruth claims that pharmaceutical companies use propaganda and pay doctors to sell drugs, including vaccines. VacTruth goes on to state that the polio vaccine had little to do with the decline of polio. Unfortunately, VacTruth did not use any scientific research or studies as references for their blog post, the entire post was fueled by propaganda and anti-vaccine sources.

Greeting Cards

For the past eighteen years, Hallmark has run the “For America’s Babies” program, printing personalized greeting cards for new parents that include a detachable growth chart and immunization schedule. In a new addition to the program, Hallmark teamed up with twenty-seven state governors, and the cards now come from the governor, urging parents to vaccinate their children. 

The immunization schedule in the cards reflects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) current recommendations. Hallmark pays for printing the cards in English and Spanish, and taxpayer dollars fund the small cost of distributing the cards to hospitals. Hospitals can choose whether or not to participate in the program.

The Florida greeting card is sent by Governor Scott and his wife Ann, and reads:

“Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! As you grow together in family and community, we encourage you to build your baby’s healthy imagination through reading and your baby’s healthy life through immunizations.”

In 2010, Florida ranked second for the percentage of children up to date on immunizations at 80%.

Vaccine Watch encourage parents to carefully consider all media they see and read about vaccines. Consult your pediatrician with questions about vaccines, as media like billboards and websites often only present one side of the argument.