This advice was received by TNMC from the Immunistion Advisory Centre in response to the programme that screened on TV3’s 3D about parents who believe the death or ongoing disabilities of their daughters are due to the Gardasil® vaccine.

 

We understand that when illness strikes it is important to know what the cause is, and that parents need to find a reason for their child’s illness. Unfortunately sometimes we cannot find a cause or as health professionals give a reason.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Gardasil® vaccine has caused death, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), or any other related fatigue syndromes. Just because these conditions occurred after vaccination does not mean that they were caused by the vaccine.

 

Key points on safety:

Safety studies now include over 1 million individuals

1. Last week the European Medicines Agency (EMA) review concluded evidence does not support that HPV vaccines cause CRPS or POTS http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/human/referrals/Human_papillomavirus_ vaccines/human_referral_prac_000053.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac05805c516f

2. A comprehensive review of the safety of HPV vaccine published in 2015 found no safety concerns http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1517/14740338.2015.1013532

3.The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety concluded there are no safety issues with HPV vaccine http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/committee/topics/hpv/GACVS_Statement_HPV_12_Mar_2014.pdf?ua=1

 

Useful responses to questions and concerns

1. It is important to recognise that these events occur in girls of this age who are not vaccinated as well as those who are. At this stage, no relationship between Gardasil® and these events has been found, despite extensive ongoing research.

2. What has been demonstrated, is the dramatic reduction in genital warts, pre-cancerous lesions and dysplasia in countires that have implemented this vaccine into their schedules.

3. The reality is that the symptoms of some of these events, for example CRPS and POTS, occur with many other conditions so diagnosis is often very difficult. It is estimated that every year about 30 women in every 100,000 between the ages of 10 and 19 years may develop one of these conditions.

4. In NZ, there are 180 new cases every year of POTS or CRPS in girls and women aged 10-19, both before thevaccine was introduced and after.