Kevin Laliberte
Editor, Smoky River Express

By now, most parents have got wind of the federally approved use of a new vaccine called Gardasil to boost the immune system so that it effectively fights off four types of human papilloma virus, the most prevalent STD in modern society. The HPV vaccine is being sold by Merck Frost Canada Ltd. (the Canadian manufacturer of the vaccine) and its proponents as a tool for ending cervical cancer. Health Canada gave the approval on July 18, 2006, and the vaccine is now available through Canadian doctors and pharmacists for use on girls and women aged nine to 26 – or before they become sexually active. In March of this year the federal government announced $300 million over three years for provinces and territories in support of a national vaccination program. The Conservative government noted that when new vaccines become available, it’s critical to make them available to Canadians as soon as possible. By June 30, 2008, more than half a million doses of the vaccine had been distributed in Canada. But the decision to endorse the use of it in Canada and the U.S. hasn’t come without its fair share of controversy among some individuals who question its effectiveness and safety record. From the time the vaccine was approved in July 2006 until Aug. 26, 2008, the Public Health Agency of Canada received reports of 220 adverse events following Gardasil immunization. The side effects reported have been similar to those seen in clinical trials, with reactions at the injection site being the most common. In almost every instance, the response of medical authorities and government officials is the same: bad reactions are rare. Still, some say the problem, however, is that no one really knows, medically speaking, just how dangerous this vaccine could be. “Usually at this stage in the life span of a vaccine we would not have this kind of action,” says Abby Lippman, an epidemiologist at McGill University who recently aired her concerns in Macleans Magazine . “We’re making guesses that it’s going to last long, that (we’re immunizing) the right age (of girls), and that it’s effective. We don’t have a solid basis for this thought.” And yet, nearly every province in Canada has, in recent weeks, put forth some plan to implement an HPV vaccination program that will see the mass inoculation of an entire generation of girls – some as soon as this September – with no serious acknowledgement of the potential health risks and side effects they might face. Gardasil has proved remarkably effective against two particular strains of HPV, which in themselves are said to be responsible for upwards of 70 per cent of cervical cancers. In most women HPV clears up on its own but for some the infection persists and can lead to cervical cancer – a common killer among women. Still, some skeptics, meanwhile, question whether the recommendation for mass inoculation in so many provinces is even necessary based on statistics which show the risk of developing HPV disease, let alone dying from it, is very low. In Canada, 1,350 women were diagnosed and 390 died last year, making cervical cancer the 11th-most common cancer in women here, and the 13th-most common cause of cancer-related death. In fact, Canada has among the lowest incidences of cervical cancer in the world. But hype around Gardasil has created a false sense of urgency about the need for the vaccine, according to cautious observers. The article goes on to say that while everyone debates the moral and political consequences of endorsing Gardasil, the fundamental, essential medical and scientific debate remains largely untouched. And that could make young girls and women part of the biggest Canadian science experiment in decades. They, in the words of Macleans Magazine “will be the guinea pigs.”

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