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February 28, 2009

Mother blames Gardasil for daughter's health issues

Pair to participate in Internet forum

By DENISE A. RAYMO

MALONE — A Malone mother and daughter will take part in an Internet forum about the preventive cervical-cancer drug Gardasil, which they claim caused a serious reaction.

Debbie LaBombard Cook said her 17-year-old daughter, Kirstie, was once an energetic and athletic cheerleader at Franklin Academy High School. But Mrs. Cook believes Kirstie developed medical problems after receiving two of the three recommended Gardasil vaccinations.

Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, is designed to ward off certain types of human papillomavirus infections, which cause about 70 percent of cervical-cancer cases, the fifth-leading cause of death for women worldwide.

It is also reported to prevent some kinds of vaginal, penile, anal and vulvar cancers and genital warts, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control.

Three doses are required for the full treatment.

SYMPTOMS
Television advertising for the product encourages families to have their daughters ages 9 to 26 vaccinated before they become sexually active for the highest chance of preventing cervical cancer.

"I saw the wonderful ad on TV, and I thought, 'Wow! I'm going to do that for my daughter,' but now I say, 'Wow! Don't do it,'" Mrs. Cook said.

She said Kirstie received her first injection in February 2008 and shortly after began having headaches and became dizzy, confused and lethargic.

Her second Gardasil dose was in April, and Mrs. Cook said the teen continued to complain about the troubling symptoms.

"In June, she had a grand-mal seizure, and we almost lost her. Now, she has auto-immune disease, a problem with her brain."

MILLIONS VACCINATED
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 23 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed in the United States.

The CDC has received nearly 12,000 reports of adverse events following use of the vaccine, but 94 percent of those were considered non-serious, such as fainting or pain and swelling at the injection site.

The remaining 6 percent have all been analyzed by medical personnel, and no common medical pattern was identified to suggest the cases were connected to Gardasil, the CDC Web site states.

RADIO SHOW
Kirstie now takes 14 pills three times a day.

"In a house where, before, we never had any medication, now the countertop is full of them," Mrs. Cook said. "I feel awful having to give my little girl a handful of pills before she goes to school in the morning, when she comes home and before she goes to bed."

She and Kirstie will participate in an audio-streamed segment on KRFC FM Public Radio in Fort Collins, Colo., which can be heard over the Internet at 8 p.m. Monday.

"There is no test that says 100 percent that these problems are caused by Gardasil," Mrs. Cook said, "but if enough people hear about this and share information, it might get someone's attention.

"She trusted me to do the right thing for her, and I'm so sorry for it today."

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com

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