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The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) this month joined California and Kentucky in endorsing a campaign to vaccinate children as young as 9 against human papillomavirus (HPV).
In its endorsement of the “Start at Age 9” campaign, the NYSDOH said, “Getting the HPV vaccine series is the best protection against preventable cancers caused by HPV infection.”
The “Start at Age 9” campaign is an initiative of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, a coalition of about 70 health organizations, hospitals and universities led by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The campaign hinges on a collection of articles that, according to the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, show “the benefits, effectiveness and acceptability of routinely recommending HPV vaccination for all preteens starting at age 9.”
According to the ACS, these benefits “include a strong immune response, safeguarding children and adolescents against more than 90% of HPV cancers later in life, fewer shots per visit, easier conversations with parents, and more opportunities to vaccinate as more preteens present for care than older teens.”
However, experts like James Lyons-Weiler, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge, said claims the vaccine reduces cervical cancer are “misleading.”
In a Substack article published Monday, Lyons-Weiler cited a study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine that concluded, “It is still uncertain whether HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer as trials were not designed to detect this outcome, which takes decades to develop.”
According to the study, although there is evidence vaccination prevents grade 1 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1) — a premalignant lesion of the cervix — “this is not a clinically important outcome (e.g., no treatment is given).”
In his Substack, Lyons-Weiler cited an article he wrote in 2017, in which he said:
“There are a number of studies showing that the partial immunization via available HPV vaccines is not only insufficient at reducing overall HPV infection rates but that the vaccines actually cause rarer, more lethal types of HPV to sweep in. The net effect could be devastating increases in HPV-related cancers.”
Dr. Paul Thomas, the author of “The Vaccine-Friendly Plan” and a practicing pediatrician for more than 35 years, described the HPV vaccine as “the most dangerous vaccine other than the COVID jab.”
Thomas told The Defender he has personally seen the HPV vaccine “destroy” the lives of two teen athletes in his clinic who received it at school without their parents’ knowledge.
Mary Holland, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) president and co-author of “The HPV Vaccine On Trial: Seeking Justice For A Generation Betrayed,” also commented on the vaccine and its safety record.
“This is an extremely dangerous vaccine that can cause permanent disability and death,” Holland told The Defender. “The only glimmer of good news is that many parents are now refusing HPV shots for their kids.”
Kim Mack Rosenberg, CHD’s general counsel and co-author with Holland of “The HPV Vaccine On Trial,” said pushing HPV vaccination for children as young as 9 “raises serious questions and may mask for years vaccine injuries, in particular injuries associated with reproductive health, such as premature ovarian failure.”
Rosenberg added:
“We know that almost all HPV infections clear on their own. Regular screening is, and for many years has been, an inexpensive and widely available tool to identify cervical abnormalities of potential concern.”
Who’s behind the ‘Start at Age 9’ campaign?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HPV vaccination for children ages 11 to 12 but says children “can start at age 9.”
In 2018, the AAP recommended starting the HPV vaccination series between ages 9 and 12. The ACS followed suit in 2020.
The Roundtable’s 2021 annual conference, opened by the AAP, featured a panel presentation on increasing HPV vaccination rates by recommending children start at age 9.
In 2021, Merck — manufacturer of the Gardasil HPV vaccine and a corporate donor of the AAP Friends of the Children Fund — paid $150,000 in a grant to the AAP to fund adolescent and pediatric immunization programs. The Roundtable began marketing the “Start at Age 9” campaign at its 2022 conference, themed “Vax Like a Champ!”
In February, researchers at Merck published a study in Pediatrics suggesting that moving routine HPV vaccination to ages 9 to 10 may improve vaccination coverage rates in early and mid-adolescence, increasing the odds children will complete the vaccine series prior to becoming sexually active.
95 cases filed against Merck in multidistrict litigation — more expected
In August 2022, a federal panel of judges consolidated more than 31 lawsuits against Merck.
As of Aug. 15, 95 cases were filed against Merck in multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Western District of North Carolina, and 92 remain open.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys at Wisner Baum said they expect the number of cases “to increase significantly in the coming months as hundreds of claims are pending” in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), also known as “vaccine court.”
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits allege they or their minor children developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and various other injuries — including infertility — as the result of an autoimmune reaction to the Gardasil vaccine.
According to attorneys at Wisner Baum, “Merck misled consumers by preying on their fear of cancer and by repeatedly stating, representing, urging and implying that it was necessary for girls and young women to take the Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.”
According to the law firm, those who allege HPV vaccine side effects must first bring their claims to vaccine court before they can file a lawsuit against Merck in civil court.
The most recent VICP data — covering October 1988 through Aug. 1, 2023 — show 822 injury petitions filed for the HPV vaccine. Twenty-two were filed for death, 169 received compensation and 447 were denied.
A joint status report submitted to the MDL indicates that plaintiffs were scheduled to depose corporate representatives for Merck on Aug. 2. In April, the court ordered Merck to turn over all data from its adverse event reporting and review system. However, the company has not yet provided this data to the plaintiffs.
If successful, lawyers estimate the settlements for women suffering POTS, Guillain-Barré syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy could range between $150,000 and $750,000, while for those experiencing premature ovarian failure, the settlements could range between $250,000 and $1 million.
