Sir, – In Dr Jacky Jones's piece "Are vaccines safe?" (Second Opinion, Health + Family, May 17th), on the bad press surrounding the HPV vaccine, she attributes a "hidden agenda" to groups engaging in media coverage, suggesting they are driven by religious conservatism, but does not substantiate that claim.
It is alarming that in a piece that claims the science is overwhelmingly in favour of the vaccine, no mention is made of the vaccine-maker Merck’s own information on the product Gardasil, which lists 25 symptoms as possible effects, ranging from headaches and joint pain to muscle weakness and seizures, with the advice to seek medical help if any of these arise even months after the vaccination.
To impute a negative motive to those who find the health of their adolescent daughters badly affected as a result of the HPV vaccine is bizarre and inexcusable. – Yours, etc,
CIARA CONSIDINE,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Dr Jacky Jones makes a sweeping dismissal of the real-life experience of those represented by Regret, a parent-led organisation formed in response to the chronic degeneration of health experienced by our daughters in the aftermath of the HPV vaccination. Instead, in an article that claims “the science is overwhelmingly in favour of ... the HPV vaccine”, she links the bad press to an unsubstantiated “hidden agenda” based, bizarrely, on backward sexual mores.
We are a support group set up in May 2015 that now, sadly, represent 350 girls who have suffered severe, long-term effects following the HPV vaccination, which is routinely administered now to girls at age 12. This represents a statistic of 1 in 600 of those in Ireland who received the vaccine. These 350 cases of previously healthy and vibrant adolescents are only those that have registered with Regret, and we are aware that there may be many others.
The claim that we are opposed to the vaccine for religious reasons is nothing but ridiculous. The arbitrary attribution of a hidden agenda to our efforts to be recognised and helped is deeply insulting to these girls and their families.
Our agenda is clear, as presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, last December – for responsible action to be taken by Government to investigate, and offer the appropriate treatment options, and to ensure that all parents are fully advised as to the potential risks of the HPV vaccine, in order that they can make an informed decision for their children.
The vaccine manufacturer Merck recognises 25 symptoms as possible side-effects, and urges patients to seek help from their healthcare professional should they experience any of them, or others, even several months after the vaccination. This risk information is still not forthcoming from the HSE when parents consent to the vaccination.
We will continue our fight for appropriate recognition and healthcare provision to be put in place for our daughters, whose lives have been shattered by the fallout from the HPV vaccination. Our girls suffer daily with seizures, severe headaches, muscle fatigue, joint pain, and extreme exhaustion, to name a few symptoms, and many now find it impossible to even attend school. Their friendships have suffered, as have their interests. In short, their development to adulthood has been severely compromised, and we simply do not know what the future holds. No-one who walked in our shoes for one day would deny the reality of our experience.
If there is any hidden agenda at work, it rests somewhere between the financial interests of an overly influential pharmaceutical industry, and a healthcare service that does not wish to engage in addressing this unpalatable health issue, despite the growing international evidence of reported severe adverse events, events that were outlined within the manufacturer’s own trials. – Yours, etc,
ANNA CANNON,
Regret Spokeswoman,
Aughrim,
Co Wicklow.