Gardasil Articles (Media and adverse reactions)
Schoolgirl, 16, says she has been left wheelchair-bound after being given the controversial HPV jab
16 April 2017
Chloe Brown, 16, was a healthy teenager who was working towards a career as a stage actress. But she is now confined to a wheelchair
A teenage schoolgirl is the latest to claim she has been left wheelchair-bound following a controversial cancer jab.
Chloe Brown, 16, was a healthy teenager who was working towards a career as a stage actress.
But her dreams have been shattered as she is now confined to a wheelchair and forced to spend most of her days in bed.
Chloe and her family blame a cancer-preventing jab which she received at school along with her classmates - triggering a horrific chain of events.
They are certain her symptoms are linked to the vaccine, which protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can cause cervical cancer.
The devastating condition kills around 900 women a year.
But there are increasing calls from parents for more research into preventive jabs, which have been routinely offered to school girls since 2008.
Chloe said that in the months following the routine procedure she fell ill with dizziness, headaches, fatigue and bone and joint pain, and her muscles weakened.
Now, she suffers from constant pain which prevents her from living the life of an ordinary teenager.
Chloe said: 'This time last year I received the second part to my HPV vaccination and within a few months I was wheelchair-bound.
Chloe and her family blame a cancer-preventing jab which she received at school along with her classmates - triggering a horrific chain of events
'I have to battle chronic pain daily. I'm in pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week - and I don't know if I'll ever get better.
'I accepted the assurances that the vaccine is safe and any side effects rare and mild. I can tell you that this is not true and the side effects are devastating and deadly.
'I don't want to see another child and family suffer like we have had to.'
Chloe, who attended All Saints RC Secondary School in Glasgow, received her first jab in January of 2015 and the second in February of last year.
But just three months later her health dramatically deteriorated
She was out walking with friends when her left hip clicked out of place and she broke down in pain, unable to move.
They are certain her symptoms are linked to the vaccine, which protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can cause cervical cancer. Pictured: Chloe when she was healthy
But there are increasing calls from parents for more research into preventive jabs, which have been routinely offered to school girls since 2008
Chloe was put through an MRI scan, X-rays and blood tests but none of them were able to provide a reason for her chronic pain and she was sent home.
She has since experienced severe pains all the way down her left side and feels constantly fatigued.
The teenager attended the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow for a variety of treatments, including physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
But doctors were unable to find the reason for her suffering.
Chloe was given a cocktail of painkillers, including Tramadol, paracetamol and diazepam - but says she is still experiencing relentless pain.
Chloe was put through an MRI scan, X-rays and blood tests but none of them were able to provide a reason for her chronic pain and she was sent home
Her mother, Pauline Terry, 50, says she has now had to quit her job as a part-time collection agent to look after her daughter.
She said: 'Chloe went into the children's hospital on crutches and came out in a wheelchair.
'She went from being a clever, active, bubbly, outgoing wee girl to being unable to do anything for herself.'
Chloe, from Glasgow, was cast in the main roles as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Belle in Beauty and the Beast for school productions.
And she even had planned to study drama at the city's prestigious Royal Conservatoire.
Millions of high school girls across the country were given the Cervarix jab before it was replaced by the NHS with a new vaccine called Gardasil.
This is the one Chloe received.
European Medicines Agency statistics show that up to January 2017, 3,683 adverse reactions to Cervarix were reported, and 11,802 to Gardasil.
Some 380 families, represented by the UK Association for Vaccine Injured Daughters, have called for more information in schools and research into potential side effects.
Medics have dismissed their concerns and the Scottish Government says that the jab is not dangerous, insisting it has a 'good safety profile and is effective'.
Pauline said: 'I'm not anti-vaccine at all.
'Both my girls have got all their vaccines but I don't think we were given enough information about Gardasil to make a proper informed decision.
The Scottish Government insists the jab is safe and is effective in fighting HPV
Figures show that levels of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus in Scotland have dropped 90 per cent in young women, following a vaccination campaign that began in 2008
'It said that she would have a sore arm for a few days and possibly a bit of a headache in exchange for this cure. Of course, I said she should get it.
'But then I found out there can be up to 25 major adverse reactions. I didn't realise my daughter would be crippled with pain.'
Pauline believes that the HPV jab is the only possible explanation for Chloe's plight having found no answers from doctors.
She added: 'The Gardasil jab is the only new thing that came into Chloe's life at that time. There was nothing else that had changed.
'When we searched around for her symptoms we found several other girls that had gone through the same thing. They were all active and healthy before the jab but then after they were in a similar condition to Chloe.
'I've met with other mums who have gone through the exact same ordeal as we have since their daughter got the jab.
'It's horrendous. My wee girl is completely changed.'
Freda Birrell, a spokeswoman for the UK Association of Vaccine Injured Daughters, warned that cases like Chloe's are not uncommon.
She said: 'Chloe and her parents along with so many other children who have been harmed by the Gardasil vaccine were not given all of the facts at time of consent.
'The Patient Information Leaflet contains many serious reactions which have been reported after marketing, ie dizziness, vomiting, joint pain, aching muscles, unusual tiredness or weakness.
'But this leaflet does not mention that these symptoms do not go away, they can remain for many years, become more disabling until like Chloe the girls lose all their hopes and dreams of being normal teenagers.
'The sad thing is a good many medical professionals would prefer to label many of these girls as having a mental health disorder, rather than look at it in a professional manner and realise that these girls were happy and healthy until they had this vaccine.
'From being once in the sunshine, they are now in the darkness and battling chronic ill health that is not of their making.'
Figures show that levels of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus in Scotland have dropped 90 per cent in young women, following a vaccination campaign that began in 2008.
And researchers believe that this may itself lead to a 90 per cent reduction in cervical cancer cases in Scottish women.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Since the introduction of the HPV programme for girls in Scotland in 2008, millions of doses of the HPV vaccine have been administered to girls under 18.
'The evidence which has been reviewed, and continues to be reviewed by the bodies from whom the Scottish Government and the other UK administrations take their advice, shows that the HPV vaccine has a good safety profile and is effective.'
A statement from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHPR) said a recent review found no credible evidence of a link between the HPV vaccine and chronic pain
A spokeswoman for Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, manufacturers of Gardasil, said: 'Patient safety is MSD's highest priority and we encourage people to self-report or report on behalf of others, any changes to their health which may or may not be medically confirmed'
A statement from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHPR) said a recent review found no credible evidence of a link between the HPV vaccine and chronic pain.
The spokeswoman said: 'The HPV vaccine is the most effective way for young girls and women to protect themselves against cervical cancer.
'As with all vaccines, the safety of the HPV vaccine is under constant review. Every report of a suspected side effect is taken seriously.
'Health authorities around the world, including UK experts, the World Health Organisation, the US Centre for Disease Control and the European Medicines Regulator have recently extensively reviewed the vaccine's safety and have concluded that there is no credible evidence of a link between the HPV vaccine and a range of chronic illnesses.'
A spokeswoman for Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, manufacturers of Gardasil, said: 'Patient safety is MSD's highest priority and we encourage people to self-report or report on behalf of others, any changes to their health which may or may not be medically confirmed.
'These reports are taken extremely seriously and are used to monitor long-term safety, however, they do not necessarily prove a causal relationship with the vaccine, but provide MSD and health authorities with information and a line of enquiry for further investigation.
'Gardasil is the result of over 10 years of research and development.
'The safety of the vaccine has continued to be evaluated in several large post-license surveillance studies in more than one million people.
'While no vaccine or medicine is completely without risk, leading international health organisations throughout the world continue to recommend routine HPV vaccination.'