Michigan teen becomes center of debate over Gardasil cervical vaccine

Flint, MI

Sammie and Matia White thought they were following the law when they got their 17-year-old daughter vaccinated with Gardasil.

"The doctor told my wife it was mandatory. She said our daughter had to get the shot," Sammie White said. "We hadn't even considered it before then."

The Whites, who live in Flint, were featured on CNN earlier this month. In a short investigative report, Matia White and her daughter, Taquaria Williams, shared details of the illnesses Williams has suffered since getting her first dose of Gardasil.

The vaccine is said to help prevent cervical cancer by protecting against certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause the disease.

"She started having headaches, she was irritable," Sammie White said. "She just changed."

Willams received her first shot in December, and by February she had broken out with a rash all over her body and her hands and feet were swollen due to poor circulation, her father said.

Since the shot, she's also been diagnosed with connective tissue disorder, a form of lupus.

Sammie White recently said the family received news that Williams may lose her finger tips.

"She's never been sick before," Sammie White said. "Now she's taking six or seven pills a day."

The Food and Drug Administration licensed Gardasil in June 2006. Since then, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 6,667 incidents nationally of adverse events following the vaccine.

About 94 percent of the events were non-serious, including headaches and soreness at the injection site. The remaining six percent were more serious, including hospitalization, a life-threatening illness, permanent disability and death.

Seventeen young women died after getting the vaccine, but no connection between the deaths and the vaccine could be established, the CDC Web site reports.

Because Gardasil supposedly protects against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, some conservative and religious groups oppose the vaccine because of concerns that it will promote sexual activity.

Bridget Maher, of the Family Research Council, a Christian Right non-profit think tank, told The New Scientist magazine, "Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see it as a (license) to engage in premarital sex."

Ray Middleton of Flint said he's considered getting his 16-year-old daughter the Gardasil vaccine.

"We thought about it, but decided against it because our daughter isn't dating or sexually active," Middleton said. "At some point, I think we'll reconsider and at that time we'd have to consult with our doctor about the risk."

Barbara Lee Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, said more research needs to be done on the vaccine.

"We're concerned about the number of high functioning girls that are collapsing within 24 hours of receiving the vaccine," Fisher said. "It's not just girls falling out because they're afraid of needles. It's something in this vaccine causing this collapse."

Dr. Thomas Wright, a gynecologist in the Flint area, said his private practice has vaccinated about 150 girls and young women with Gardsil.

Between 300 and 500 women and girls have received the vaccine at Women's Integrated Health, a division of Genesys Regional Medical Centers, where Wright also practices.

Despite the controversy surrounding the vaccine, Wright said he will still recommend Gardasil to his patients.

"None of this has been directly linked to the vaccine. That's what the data shows at this point," he said. "Until it's proved otherwise, I think it's safe. In fact, both of my daughters have been vaccinated with Gardasil."

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