Now Japan pulls Gardasil shots for young girls

Japanese government officials, stunned by nearly 2,000 reports of "adverse effects" of a highly touted cervical cancer vaccine promoted widely in the United States, have decided to withdraw their recommendation for its use in the island nation.

Word comes from Judicial Watch, the Washington-based corruption watchdog that has been monitoring the effects of the drug's use in the U.S. for years.

"Japanese health officials have recorded nearly 2,000 adverse reactions – hundreds of them serious – in girls who got a dangerous U.S. government-backed cervical cancer vaccine that's also been linked to thousands of debilitating side effects in this country," Judicial Watch reported Tuesday.

"The alarming reports have led Japan's government to take action, suspending recommendation for the controversial vaccine which is billed as a miracle shot that can prevent certain strains of cervical cancer caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV)."

The organization said the U.S. government has taken the opposite approach amid equally alarming cases of serious side effects.

Not only does the Obama administration continue recommending Gardasil, it spends large sums of taxpayer dollars promoting it and works hard to keep details involving its dangers secret, Judicial Watch said.

Multiple reports uncovered and cited by Judicial Watch discuss the dangers – including death – that the drug presents to children who are given the injections, which cost $600 per patient.

Other side effects have included seizures, blindness, paralysis, speech problems, pancreatitis and short-term memory loss.

"Incredibly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast-tracked Gardasil's approval and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends it for girls starting at age 9," Judicial Watch confirmed.

The organization started investigating in 2007 and has had to sue for the records in the face of Obama administration stonewalling.

Judicial Watch said that in Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare warned local governments that the HPV vaccine should not be recommended amid safety concerns.

Judicial Watch quoted from a report released just days ago by Japanese cardiologist Dr. Sataro Sato, who said documents from the manufacturer suggested the vaccine is linked to seizures and brain damage.

Sato also addressed the use of another brand of vaccine, called Cervarix.

Following the lead of the U.S., Japanese officials had allocated more than $187 million for "urgent HPV vaccination programs" for girls between 11 and 14. Government leaders then visited junior high schools to push for the drugs.

"But health officials were taken aback with the high number of side effects reported to Japan's Vaccine Adverse Reactions Review Committee," Judicial Watch said. "Since the government began offering girls HPV shots, 1,968 adverse events were reported, including 358 that were evaluated as serious by a JMLHW committee, Dr. Sato writes. Parents began calling the country's health minister and furnishing videos in which girls who had received the HPV vaccine suffered from walking disturbances, body tics and seizures. In other cases many girls injected with the vaccine fell to the floor, injuring their head or face and some fracturing their jaw or teeth."

A review followed and health officials sent formal notifications to local governments that the vaccine should not be recommended, Judicial Watch said.

WND reported earlier this year when a Judicial Watch investigation found the government had paid almost $6 million to victims of the shot, which covered only about one-fourth of the claims.

WND also has reported the federal government has recommended the HPV vaccination for girls and boys as young as 11.

A recent video, Judicial Watch said, is part of the Obama administration's "full-throttle effort" to promote the drug. But it doesn't mention side effects such as death.

"The administration has worked hard to keep details involving the dangers of the vaccine secret as the government spends large sums of taxpayer dollars promoting it for girls and young women," the report said.

The organization explained it became interested in Gardasil when the drug was offered as a treatment for certain strains of cervical cancer caused by HPV. Judicial Watch said it discovered an "atrocity" from the "profitable vaccine manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Merck."

"The reality is that droves of government records uncovered by Judicial Watch show that Gardasil has been linked to thousands of adverse reactions and debilitating side effects that the government wants to keep secret," the new report said. "They include seizures, blindness, paralysis, speech problems, pancreatitis, short-term memory loss and dozens of deaths."

The new 13-minute video endorsing the three-dose HPV vaccine series is being presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of National Immunization Awareness Month.

"The video, designed to reach 'underserved areas' and 'minority populations,' features young women and healthcare professionals touting the vaccine. It lies about side effects, saying … there's 'little pain and discomfort' and 'dizziness and stomach aches,'" Judicial Watch said.

The video:

The legal team also said the Obama administration recently spent $1.2 million to promote Gardasil among low-income and minority girls.

"Notably absent in this latest DVD and all other Gardasil promotional campaigns are the potentially lethal side effects documented in the government's own Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The data is kept by the FDA and CDC as a vaccine safety surveillance program that can be easily accessed by the public yet Judicial Watch had to sue for information related to Gardasil," Judicial Watch said.

WND earlier reported the damage payments of nearly $6 million covered only some of the 200 claims that have been filed to date.

At the time, Judicial Watch found:

Only 49 of the 200 claims filed have been compensated for injury or death caused from the HPV vaccine. Of the 49 compensated claims, 47 were for injury caused from HPV vaccine; the additional two claims were for death caused due to the vaccine.

Ninety-two (nearly half) of the total 200 claims filed are still pending. Of those pending claims 87 of the claims against HPV vaccine were filed for injury, the remaining five claims were filed for death.

Fifty-nine claims have been dismissed outright by VICP. The alleged victims were not compensated for their claims against the HPV vaccine. Of the claims dismissed, 57 were for injuries, two were for deaths allegedly caused by the HPV vaccine.