Questions over human papillomavirus vaccine in the US and Australia

Questions have emerged in the United States and Australia about the effectiveness and possibly dangerous side effects of Gardasil, Merck's newly licensed vaccine for human papillomavirus.

In the US, three deaths closely time related to immunisation with the vaccine were among 1637 adverse reactions reported by Judicial Watch, a public interest watchdog. Judicial Watch obtained the reports from the Food and Drug Administration using the Freedom of Information Act. The reports were filed through the FDA's vaccine adverse event reporting system.

In Australia, 25 girls at a Catholic high school in Melbourne who …