The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently recommended the use of the Gardasil vaccine for boys 11 through 21 years.

With reports of devastating side-effects and even death in girls, Gina Medvedz, Certified Nutrition Consultant asked, "If I wouldn’t give it to my daughter, why would I give it to my son?"

"My main concern as a holistic nutritionist is that parents have placed the well-being of their children in the hands of pharmaceutical companies that are looking for a profit," said Medvedz, CNC at Wellness Transformations in Orefield and mother of two teenagers. 

The pharmaceutical company, Merck has touted Gardasil to be a vaccination for four specific strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) protecting girls against those strains that are known to cause cervical and vaginal cancer and genital warts in boys.

Since FDA approval in 2006, more is being revealed by both the Center for Disease Control and other organizations about the vaccine's side effects. 

According to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) from the CDC , there have been a total of 71 deaths among those who have received Gardasil, three of which were male, as of September 15, 2011.  

As many as 103 deaths have been linked to receiving the vaccination according to whistleblower websites like Truth About Gardasil, Health Freedom Alliance, and Office of Medical and Scientific Justice all emphasizing the tragic implications of Gardasil side effects and mistrust of Merck’s lobbying for legislation to mandate the Gardasil vaccination.

Out of 35 million doses distributed in the U.S. the number of deaths might seem small but the real concern is that Merck continues to market Gardasil as virtually side-effect free.

The CDC has received 20,096 reports of adverse side effects including blood clots, paralysis, seizures, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and pancreatitis. 

Most recently, according to the National Vaccine Information Center, 78 cases of genital warts have also been linked to receiving the Gardasil vaccine.   

Dr. Diane Harper, the principal investigator for clinical vaccine trials with Merck and international expert on HPV science, has been quoted as saying, “Gardasil is not really a cervical cancer vaccine. The vaccine prevents HPV infection, not the development of cervical cancer.”

“Cervical cancer takes years to develop. Parents should be concerned because this vaccine was tested in the short term, and therefore it has not actually been proven to prevent cervical cancer, which is how it has been marketed to the public” said Medvedz.

If vaginal and cervical cancer are on the decline, as the CDC has stated, it is most likely due to more women having PAP smears and not the HPV vaccinations that have taken place since 2006.

“If you want to help your children prevent cancer, then you should eliminate refined sugar, aspartame, white flour, artificial colors, preservatives, MSG, and hydrogenated oils from their diets,” said Medvedz, “Increase the amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, and their risk of developing all types of cancer will drastically reduce.”

About this column: Tara M. Zrinski, was graduated summa cum laude from the Master of Pastoral Counseling Program (2007) and the Master of Theological Studies (2005) from Moravian Theological Seminary. She is the former Director of Life Span Religious Education for Children, Youth and Adults at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley and currently is an adjunct professor of Philosophy at Northampton Community College. As a mother of three boys ranging from ages 18 months to 11 years of age, she has a great deal of hands on experience in parenting in addition to the courses and research she has accomplished in co-parenting, positive parenting and child welfare.