Dear Askan X,
As we discussed, measles is a communicable disease that may justify the encouragement of that vaccine. That being said, we need to address a different concern – the HPV vaccine which is given to girls and boys from around 9-13 years of age. I assume the doctors in your neighborhood don’t give their patients this vaccine (Although some do encourage it; I can send you an email exchange someone shared with me with a doctor that admits his bonus is tied to his HPV vaccine rates (which I believe is around $80,000).
As you will understand based on what you read below, a number of rabbanim who encourage the measles vaccine, have paskened that it is assur to get the HPV vaccine.
Jewish women in general, and especially women who keep taharas hamishpacha (according to Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler) have a very low incidence of cervical cancer to begin with (http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/cancer/menczer1/) . It is so low in fact, that pap smears (which are responsible for the dramatic decline in cervical cancer deaths in the US) hadn’t been routine in Israel, much to the surprise and consternation of an American gynecologist who made aliyah many years ago. This same doctor also had serious reservations about the HPV vaccine.
ד”ר דיאנה פלשר על פפילומה וחיסון HPV – עם כתוביות
https://vaccinesinc.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-post.html
Here is some of what I’ve learned about the HPV vaccine:
Although it’s given to children starting at 9 years old, the duration of protection is unknown; HPV, the virus linked to some types of cervical cancers, usually clears within 2 years; and cervical cancer is generally diagnosed during midlife.
Even though the incidence and deaths from cervical cancer are high in developing countries, in the Western world it is a rare cancer with low mortality.
“Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Policy and Evidence-Based Medicine: Are They at Odds?” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51906691_Human_Papillomavirus_HPV_Vaccine_Policy_and_Evidence-Based_Medicine_Are_They_at_Odds
Dr. Diane Harper, who was a lead researcher in Merck’s Gardasil clinical trials and is also a practicing OB/GYN, had this to say about HPV and cervical cancer:
“Of all the women who get an HPV infection, approximately 70 percent of those will clear that infection all by themselves in the first year. You don’t even have to detect it or treat it. Within two years, approximately 90 percent of those women will clear it all by themselves. By three years, you will have 10 percent of that original group of women left who still have an HPV infection, and 5 percent of this 10 percent will have progressed into a pre-cancerous lesion. So, “now you have that small group of women who have pre-cancerous lesions and now let’s look at that moving into invasive carcinoma. What we know then is that amongst women with. . . [pre-cancerous] lesions. . . it takes five years for about twenty percent of them to become invasive carcinomas. That’s a pretty slow process. It takes about thirty years for forty percent of them to become invasive cervical carcinomas.” https://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/02/10/new-study-finds-the-hpv-vaccine-can-trigger-neuroin%EF%AC%82ammation-autoimmune-reactions-leading-to-behavioural-changes/
Watch Dr. Harper here: https://youtu.be/sSdCxgF0blc
The risks of the HPV vaccine, however, are not insignificant.
According to the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) the HPV vaccine, since its inception in mid 2016, there have been 61,552 adverse events reported to the system, 9,070 serious cases, and 480 deaths. It has been acknowledged that the reported adverse events represent between <1 – 10% percent of all adverse reactions.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120523060751/https://www.know-vaccines.org/PDF/VaricellaVAERS.pdf
Per the vaccine package insert, each dose of Gardasil 9 contains 500 mcg of amorphous aluminum hydroxy sulfate (AAHS) https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM426457.pdf
p.11 (the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, which is no longer manufactured for use in the US, had 250 mcg https://www.fda.gov/downloads/biologicsbloodvaccines/vaccines/approvedproducts/ucm111263.pdfp.12), for a total of 1500 mcg for the three shot series in less than a year. This is perhaps the highest dose of aluminum adjuvant, a known neurotoxin, in any vaccine, used in order to increase the number of high titer antibodies. Aluminum, besides being a neurotoxin, can also cause autoimmune disorders.
“… Furthermore, the use of adjuvants in human vaccinations has been linked to adverse effects often classified under Autoimmune (or autoinflammatory) syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA)7. … ”
(https://www.nature.com/articles/srep31578#ref7 p.1)
Premature ovarian failure (infertility) has been reported with Gardasil; the American College of Pediatricians, among others, has voiced their concern:
“Few other vaccines besides Gardasil® that are administered in adolescence contain polysorbate 80. Pre-licensure safety trials for Gardasil® used placebo that contained polysorbate 80 as well as aluminum adjuvant. Therefore, if such ingredients could cause ovarian dysfunction, an increase in amenorrhea probably would not have been detected in the placebo-controlled trials. Furthermore, a large number of girls in the original trials were taking hormonal contraceptives which can mask ovarian dysfunction including amenorrhea and ovarian failure. Thus a causal relationship between human papillomavirus vaccines (if not Gardasil® specifically) and ovarian dysfunction cannot be ruled out at this time.
“… While data from those studies do not indicate an increased rate of amenorrhea after vaccination, the essential lack of saline placebos and the majority of participants taking hormonal contraceptives in those studies preclude meaningful data to rule out an effect on ovarian function. [1]”
Loss of fertility was documented in the following study:
“…This study analyzed information gathered in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which represented 8 million 25-to-29-year-old women residing in the United States between 2007 and 2014. Approximately 60% of women who did not receive the HPV vaccine had been pregnant at least once, whereas only 35% of women who were exposed to the vaccine had conceived. For married women, 75% who did not receive the shot were found to conceive, while only 50% who received the vaccine had ever been pregnant.”
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A., Volume 81, 2018 – Issue 14, A lowered probability of pregnancy in females in the USA aged 25–29 who received a human papillomavirus vaccine injection (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15287394.2018.1477640?journalCode=uteh20)
Since 1986 one cannot sue a vaccine manufacturer in a court of law for vaccine injuries. They can be sued for fraud, however, and there is currently a lawsuit underway alleging fraud during the clinical trials.
“Jennifer Robi is a 24-year-old former athlete and scholar who has been confined to a wheelchair since receiving her third Gardasil vaccines at age sixteen. She suffers continual uncontrolled neuro/muscular contractions (jerking) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and many other symptoms of systemic autoimmune dysregulation.
“…Kennedy described a series of fraudulent gimmicks employed by Merck to deceive regulators during the clinical trials including the use of a “spiked” extremely toxic AAHS placebo rather than a true inert placebo that is standard for control groups in blue ribbon safety studies for other pharmaceutical products. Using a poisonous placebo in the control group allowed Merck to mask the cascade of injuries suffered by girls in the Gardasil group during the clinical trials. Half the girls in the Gardasil group and half the girls in the spiked placebo group suffered serious injuries, including several deaths, in the first seven months of the clinical trials, yet Merck was able to claim that reactions in the study group “were similar to the reactions in the placebo group,” and that, therefore, the vaccine was safe. Merck reported most of these serious injuries as “new medical conditions” not adverse events, dismissing any connection to the vaccine by fiat. …”
(https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/court-hears-gardasil-science-and-moves-forward/2,3)
This research study shows a causal relationship between the HPV vaccine and the death of two girls following Gardasil vaccination:
“Conclusions: Our study suggests that HPV vaccines containing HPV-16L1 antigens pose an inherent risk for triggering potentially fatal autoimmune vasculopathies.
“Practice implications: Cerebral vasculitis is a serious disease which typically results in fatal outcomes when undiagnosed and left untreated. The fact that many of the symptoms reported to vaccine safety surveillance databases following HPV vaccination are indicative of cerebral vasculitis, but are unrecognized as such (i.e., intense persistent migraines, syncope, seizures, tremors and tingling, myalgia, locomotor abnormalities, psychotic symptoms and cognitive deficits), is a serious concern in light of the present findings. It thus appears that in some cases vaccination may be the triggering factor of fatal autoimmune/neurological events. Physicians should be aware of this association.”
Death after Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: Causal or Coincidental? https://www.rescuepost.com/files/ltshaw-death-after-quadrivalent-hpv-vaccination-pharma-reg-affairs-2012.pdf
French doctor Nicole Delepine has also noted an increased rate of cervical cancer among women who have received the vaccine.
The Paradoxical effect of anti-HPV vaccine gardasil on cervical cancer rate. http://docteur.nicoledelepine.fr/paradoxical-effect-of-anti-hpv-vaccine-gardasil-on-cervical-cancer-rate/
An interesting (non) admission by the Israeli Ministry of Health (which vaccinates children in their schools) reveals that they expect many children to faint, die, or have convulsions the week after receiving the HPV vaccine, yet they say it is irrational to claim that it is related to the vaccine. (They seem to me more worried about how the vaccines are perceived than about the health of the girls. I don’t remember anyone fainting, dying or having convulsions when I went to school, nor has it happened to any of my children’s classmates, not even one.) They are looking to England to find out how the English handled this. By acknowledging that they had a similar issue with MMR, with TD and with Polio vaccines makes it clear that they know this is a result of the vaccines. If it were a common occurrence not related to vaccines there would be no need for this discussion:
“We have here injections for teenage girls that some give in 3 doses. We expect many serious adverse events to happen in the week following vaccination; it is expected that serious events would occur without any connection to the vaccine: fainting, deaths and seizures. This has to be taken into account. Even if it is irrational, if this happens in the classroom, it may harm the status of the vaccines. It happens all over the world all the time. We have already discussed a similar issue with the provision of MMR with Td and polio and we agreed to the Nurses’ proposal to split between grades 1 and 2. The nurses are prepared to recommend to the committee on this issue. With regard to adverse effects, we need to be prepared in advance and not act after the fact. Suggestion to consult representatives of England to learn how they did this …”
The Nordic Cochrane Centre sent a scathing letter to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) citing maladministration in regard to the agency’s response to a Danish Health and Medicine Authorities query about their research showing possible serious neurological harms of the HPV vaccines. The documentation submitted to the EMA included peer-reviewed articles published by PhD and physician Louise Brinth from the Danish Syncope Unit at Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen:
“The prominent symptoms, which are suspected of being caused by the vaccine, are similar to those seen in so-called functional disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and include postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The hypothetical mechanism is an autoimmune reaction triggered by either the active component of the vaccine or the adjuvant in the vaccine. These syndromes are difficult to diagnose; their causes are poorly understood; and they are likely to be underreported. This complicates studies of a causal link.
“The EMA’s official report (2) gives the impression of a unanimous rejection of the suspected harms. However, only seven months earlier, the EMA had resolved that “A causal relationship between the dizziness and fatigue syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Gardasil [one of the HPV vaccines] can neither be confirmed nor denied” (3). Moreover, the EMA’s internal report of 256 pages (4), which provided the draft for its 40-page official report, tells a very different story. The internal report is confidential but has been leaked.”
France, Spain, India, and Japan are some of the other countries that have seen lawsuits from HPV vaccine injuries or acted against the HPV vaccines due to their harms.
In 2014 an International https://www.vaccinationdecisions.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/04.2014-HPV-vaccine-controversy-Japan.pdf
Japanese Dr. Sin Hang Lee wrote an open letter to the Director General of the World Health Organization charging that they and others had purposely withheld pertinent safety information about the HPV vaccine from the Japanese authorities.
“As a medical doctor and scientist, I write to present grave concerns regarding the conduct of certain members of the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), the World Health Organization, the CDC and other scientific/health professionals during the time shortly before the public hearing on HPV Vaccine Safety which was held in Tokyo, Japan on February 26, 2014. I have come into possession of documentation which leads me to believe multiple individuals and organizations deliberately set out to mislead Japanese authorities regarding the safety of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Gardasil® and Cervarix®, which were being promoted at that time.”
…
“…One cannot help but conclude that Dr. Pless intentionally put these two unrelated articles together and claimed that both articles studied HPV L1 gene DNA fragments in order to mislead the non-scientific readers and vaccination policy makers.
“…Dr. Pless in fact misstates the author’s words in this document apparently to create a target to attack.”
Allegations of Scientific Misconduct by GACVS/WHO/CDC Representatives et al
An open-letter of complaint to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan https://sanevax.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Allegations-of-Scientific-Misconduct-by-GACVS.pdf pp.1,2
Considering how much risk there is for little benefit, especially so for Jewish women, more rabbanim may decided that is is actually assur to take the vaccine.
Unfortunately, there are bills now seeking to mandate the HPV vaccine for boys and girls.
What happens if the Rabbonim pasken NOT to take the HPV vaccine? If there is no religious exemption option from vaccines WE WILL BE FORCED TO GO AGAINST HALACHA.
And as you know, there is a law coming up to remove the religious exemption. I beleive a committee vote is taking place Monday April 29th.
While the religious exemption may not be needed for measles, it may very well be needed for HPV. It is therefore critical to fight for the religious exemption for vaccines to remain available.
Repeals subdivision 9 of section 2164 of the public health law relating to exemption from vaccination due to religious beliefs
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/a2371
Senate Bill S132
2017-2018 Legislative Session
Provides for the immunization of all children born after January 1, 1998 against the human papillomavirus (HPV)
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s132
Senate Bill 298 2019 Legislative session in New York to add the HPV vaccine to the list of childhood vaccines that kids receive
https://openstates.org/ny/bills/2019-2020/S298/
While many rabbanim believe that there is no need for religious exemptions, with at least 300 more vaccines in the pipeline that could all be mandated, do we want to remove religious exemptions? We don’t know what the future will bring and it is critical to keep our options open so that we can follow the halacha as various situations arise.
Paul Offit, who is at the forefront of vaccine promotion and highly respected by many, including rabbanim, is fiercely against metzitza b’peh. In his book “Bad Faith” Offit has viciously attacked ultra-Orthodox mohelim saying that they spread herpes by using contaminated circumcision tools. (http://paul-offit.com/booksby/bad-faith/). He would also like to ban bris milah (Lakewood babies face herpes risk; NJ lacks circumcision safety rules).
Jewish by birth, he is an avowed atheist.
This is all the more important because In 2005 rabbanim and frum doctors helped you prevent the ban on metzitza b’peh in New York City citing the religious exemption for vaccines. (The Jewish Observer Vol. 39 No. 3 April 2006/ Nissan 5766 | The Agudah p.6) Religious exemptions may be necessary for other things like preventing mandated social worker home visits to new parents like a new Oregon law requires (could they possibly demand contravention of halacha or else they will remove the child(ren) from the home?); preventing obligatory organ donation or donation by default which some countries have already adopted and which for a frum Jew involves defining halachic death (what happens if you neglect to opt out or they neglect to follow your directive?); end of life issues – including withholding nutrition which has already been done in the US; shechita, which is banned in some European countries; and even laws that we cannot foresee right now, which could directly contravene halacha and our rights to practice halachic Judaism. What are we willing to risk?
(Offit also has tremendous conflicts of interest including sitting on the committee that approved adding the rotavirus vaccine to the immunization schedule at the same time that he was in the process of developing one and had already filed an investigational new drug application; he made millions from the sale of those vaccine royalties. http://www.vaccineinfo.net/issues/conflictofinterest/conflicts_of_interest.shtml pp. 3,10 http://vaccinationdecisions.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Paul-Offit-1306181.pdf)
Klal Yisroel needs your help in protecting our future religious rights. Please help to stop the removal of the religious exemption for vaccines.
Respectfully,
P.S. Here are some additional links regarding HPV dangers:
- A lowered probability of pregnancy in females in the USA aged 25–29 who received a human papillomavirus vaccine injection https://www.tandfonline.com/
doi/abs/10.1080/15287394.2018. 1477640 - Premature ovarian failure 3 years after menarche in a 16-year-old girl following human papillomavirus vaccination https://casereports.bmj.com/
content/2012/bcr-2012-006879. abstract HPV vaccine cited in infertility case HPV vaccine cited in infertility case - Standing up for religious freedom
