Important news has come up recently concerning some of the Health Care issues I have previously addressed here on BlogHer. So this will be a post addressing this new information.
[img_assist|fid=4182|thumb=1|alt=health care crisis]

Since my original post on the controversy surrounding the Gardasil vaccine, I have already added three updates. Recently I was made aware of new information released by the FDA regarding the more serious adverse reactions to this vaccine. Most upseting is the fact that at least three young girls have died within hours of receiving this controversial vaccine.

(Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released documents obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, detailing 1,637 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil. Three deaths were related to the vaccine. One physician’s assistant reported that a female patient “died of a blood clot three hours after getting the Gardasil vaccine.” Two other reports, on girls 12 and 19, reported deaths relating to heart problems and/or blood clotting. -- read full article

As of May 11, 2007, the 1,637 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) included 371 serious reactions. Of the 42 women who received the vaccine while pregnant, 18 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous abortion to fetal abnormities.

Side effects published by Merck & Co. warn the public about potential pain, fever, nausea, dizziness and itching after receiving the vaccine. Indeed, 77% of the adverse reactions reported are typical side effects to vaccinations. But other more serious side effects reported include paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures. -- -- read full article

What troubles me the most about this is; Parents understand that with all vaccines there will be a very small percent of people (in this case young girls) that will have an adverse reaction ending in death. The major difference is that vaccines like the MMR vaccines (given to our children to prevent Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) are essential in saving many lives from these highly contagious and often fatal diseases. So, the benefits of these vaccines most definitely outweigh the risks...(the small percent of serious adverse reactions with MMR vaccine is still only a tiny fraction of the amount of deaths we would see without this vaccine).

Unfortunately this is not the case with the HPV vaccine. I think if a parent thought that their daughter might die from a vaccine that has limited protection against a treatable (non life-threatening) virus, they might not see a benefit that outweighs that risk.

A possible scenario...

Even if these girls (who have or will die from this vaccine) had been exposed to a strain of HPV that eventually caused them to develop cervical cancer, and they never went to routine doctors appointments, or had had a routine PAP test...Even if all of this took place, more than likely that daughter would still have lived a long and productive life before tragically dying of cervical cancer in her (late) adulthood. However, even more likely would be that within the ten year period that it would take for this type of cancer to become fatal...this woman would have been diagnosed and successfully treated and gone on to live a long life. Instead a young girl (between age 9 and 11) has died because of a vaccine that has no guarantee of preventing the above scenario anyway.

For more information you can see the original post & comments...

Gardasil -- The Three Faces of the HPV Vaccine...Fear, Facts, and Profits.

First Update

Second Update

Third Update

I also want to talk about the issue of preventable medical mistakes and the growing health care crisis.

We all know about the oath our doctors take to "do no harm". But, we also know that doctors are human, and humans make mistakes. What you might not know is; Death due to medical mistakes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that over 100,000 people die each year from preventable medical errors. -- from the original post: Preventable Medical Mistakes Are A Leading Cause Of Death In The United States

Since I did this post I was made aware of a tragic problem facing our emergency rooms. In particular, a middle-age woman suffered for over 90 minutes before dying while medical staff and other patients looked on.

In the emergency room at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital, Edith Isabel Rodriguez was seen as a complainer.

"Thanks a lot, officers," an emergency room nurse told Los Angeles County police who brought in Rodriguez early May 9 after finding her in front of the Willowbrook hospital yelling for help. "This is her third time here."

The 43-year-old mother of three had been released from the emergency room hours earlier, her third visit in three days for abdominal pain. She'd been given prescription medication and a doctor's appointment. -- read full article

The Times reconstructed the last 90 minutes of Rodriguez's life based on accounts by three people who have seen the confidential videotape, a detailed police report, interviews with relatives and an account of the boyfriend's 911 call.

"I am completely dumbfounded," said county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who has seen the video recording.

"It's an indictment of everybody," he said. "If this woman was in pain, which she appears to be, if she was writhing in pain, which she appears to be, why did nobody bother … to take the most minimal interest in her, in her welfare? It's just shocking. It really is." -- read full article

This is a sad testament to the continuing health care crisis in America, and these problems are not going to get better on their own. Our health care system is past broken...It is crumbling into something barely recognizable as health care.

Ten Things Your Hospital Won't Tell You

1. "Oops, wrong kidney."

2. "You may leave sicker than when you came in."

3. "Good luck finding the person in charge."

4. "Everything is negotiable, even your hospital bill."

5. "Yes, we take your insurance -- but we're not sure about the anesthesiologist."

6. "Sometimes we bill you twice."

7. "All hospitals are not created equal."

8. "Most ERs are in need of some urgent care themselves."

9. "Avoid hospitals in July like the plague."

10. "Sometimes we don't keep our mouths zipped."

Read full article to get the details on this list.

Health Care Crisis Affects Us All

There is no doubt that it costs to be healthy, from buying the right nutritious foods to taking care of yourself to going to the doctor. Poor people are at a disadvantage. But it's not just "their" problem; it winds up costing us all.

Nearly 45 million people in the United States have no health insurance. That's about 15 percent of the population. Medical care has gotten so expensive that many employers have dropped their insurance policies. In Escambia County, one out of every five people does not have insurance, and 80 percent of them have jobs. -- read full article

Also See: The Growing Health Care Crisis and the Uninsured in America

What do you think about the health care crisis or the Gardasil controversy? Do you see health care in America changing or getting worse? Do you think states should still be considering making Gardasil a mandatory vaccine for young school girls? Would you vaccinate your daughter knowing that the possible risks and side affects are growing?

If you are a BlogHer blogging on any of these important issues, I hope you will leave your information and link in the comments of this post.

image from

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com