According to allegations raised in a lawsuit filed last month against Merck, side effects of a Gardasil vaccine administered as a teenager caused a Connecticut woman to suffer damage to her autoimmune system.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Korrine Herlth in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, indicating the drug manufacturers failed to warn about serious risks associated with Gardasil, and alleging the effectiveness of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is questionable.

Gardasil was first approved in 2006, and has been widely marketed for young girls and boys before adolescence and potential sexual activity, to help prevent HPV, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the development of cervical cancer.

Herlth indicates she received her first Gardasil injection as a teenager during a routine examination in October 2013, and received the second shot in December 2013. However, within a week of the second dose, Herlth began to experience dizziness, headaches, shakes and nausea, according to the lawsuit.

While she refused to get the third shot, her condition still worsened over time, resulting in daily seizures, vertigo, double vision, nausea, visual floaters, problems balancing, fatigue, anxiety and panic attacks, as well as depression, cognitive problems and a host of other health maladies.

In addition to causing an autoimmune disease risk which was not disclosed, the Gardasil lawsuit claims there is a lack of evidence the HPV vaccine even works as advertised.

“(W)hether Gardasil prevents cancer (not to mention lifetime immunity), is unproven. In fact, it may be more likely to cause cancer in those previously exposed to HPV than to prevent it,” Herlth’s lawsuit states. “Moreover, Merck knows and actively conceals the fact that Gardasil can cause a constellation of serious adverse reactions and gruesome diseases, including autoimmune diseases, and death in some recipients.”

Gardasil Side Effects

Since it’s introduction, concerns about the safety of Gardasil have emerged after one of the lead researchers responsible for developing the HPV vaccine, Dr. Diane Harper, indicated the drug’s protection may only last a few years, suggesting the risks may outweigh the benefits.

Dr. Harper reportedly said at a conference in 2009, that while Gardasil was tested on 15 year old girls, it is commonly being given to girls as young as nine years old. She has called for more detailed warnings to parents about the Gardasil risks and to provide additional information about the unknown long-term benefits for girls who are not likely to be sexually active for several years.

Many health experts strongly support the use of Gardasil, indicating any risks are negligible and claims made by those concerned about vaccinations are often not scientifically supported.

The National Cancer Institute has heralded the HPV vaccine, saying that widespread use could reduce cervical cancer deaths worldwide by as much as two-thirds. Many also suggest men get the vaccine as well in order to promote “herd immunity,” which occurs when a large enough portion of the population is vaccinated against a particular disease that they act as a firewall, preventing that disease’s spread even to those who are not vaccinated.

 Tags: Autoimmune Disease, Children, Gardasil, HPV, Injection, Merck, Vaccine