July 3, 2008
From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
Judicial Watch Uncovers Shocking New FDA Documents Related to Gardasil
Those of you who regularly read this column know that Judicial Watch has taken the lead in exposing the ugly truth about the dangerous side effects associated with Gardasil, the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) currently being administered to young girls.
Well this week, we released a special report based on new "adverse event reports" and other information obtained from the FDA under the Freedom of Information Act. These reports document 10 reported deaths since September, 2007. (The total number of death reports is at least 18 and as many as 20.) The FDA also produced 140 "serious" reports (27 of which were categorized as "life threatening"), 10 spontaneous abortions and six cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome - all since January 2008.
Here are a few excerpts from the documents we uncovered. The rest can be read in our report. (Warning: These descriptions get very graphic.)
Information has been received...concerning a 20 year old female with no medical history reported, who on 01-APR-2008 was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil....The patient died four days after...patient sought unspecified medical attention. An autopsy was performed which ruled out suicide and anything suspicious. The cause of death is currently unknown. VAERS ID: 310262-1 (D)
Cold sweat, Fall, Foaming at mouth, Grand mal convulsion, Immediate post-injection reaction. . .Pt [patient, 14-year-old female] received vaccine, took 6 steps, fell to the ground unconscious and had a 60 sec grand mal seizure then regained consciousness. [Blood pressure] after seizure 60/40 pale clammy skin. [Patient] had bit her tongue and had foam around her mouth. VAERS ID: 305259-1 (S)
Information has been received from a physician concerning a female patient who on an unknown date was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced a coma and is now paralyzed. At the time of this report, the patient's outcome was unknown. VAERS ID: 303188-1
Would you allow your daughter to have this vaccine when these are the potential consequences? I know I wouldn't. If Merck has its way, however, we might not have much of a choice. Merck had been lobbying to have the vaccine mandated for young girls and some politicians seemed willing to oblige. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already recommended that 11 and 12-year-old girls begin receiving the vaccine as part of school vaccination efforts. (Following the CDC's lead, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed an executive order last year mandating the vaccine for 6th grade girls. Parent groups fought the mandate and the mandate was rescinded.)
Moreover, according to a recent article in The Washington Post, Merck plans to lobby the FDA to approve the vaccination for young boys as well. (Right now, the vaccination is approved for girls/young women from ages 9 to 26. Just last week, the FDA rejected Merck's attempt to expand the use of the vaccination for women 27 and older. Merck plans to reapply.)
These developments make our report all the more relevant. Read it for free by clicking here, and then be sure to send the link to your friends, family members and colleagues.
Judicial Watch Obtains Award for Attorneys Fees in Lawsuit Related to Senate Majority Leader Reid
On June 27, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia awarded attorney's fees to Judicial Watch in our Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management [Judicial Watch v. Bureau of Land Management, Civil Action No. 07-1570 (RCL)]. As you might recall, Judicial Watch sued the agency for documents related to a massive real estate development project in Coyote Springs, Nevada involving Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.
Judicial Watch launched an investigation after news reports suggested Reid greased the wheels for the real estate deal in exchange for campaign contributions and other favors from lobbyist and long-time friend Harvey Whittemore. (In addition to donating $45,000 to Reid's campaigns, Whittemore also hired Reid's son Leif to handle negotiations on the Coyote Springs deal. Leif Reid even called his father's office to talk about obtaining the proper permits. Talk about a conflict of interest!)
Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and then-Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV), who now serves as Governor of Nevada, are also implicated in the deal. Ensign and Gibbons both supported the Coyote Springs project at key stages, and also received campaign contributions from Whittemore.
Although Judicial Watch has been awarded attorneys fees before, let me tell you why this court ruling is especially important. This is the first decision by a judge for the District Court for the District of Columbia, which handles approximately half of all FOIA lawsuits, under the Open Government Act of 2007, signed into Law by President Bush on December 31, 2007.
Why is this significant?
Well, in order to obtain attorneys fees under any Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the person or organization seeking documents must "substantially prevail" in the lawsuit. The Open Government Act expanded the definition of what it means to "substantially prevail."
Before the law was enacted, the requestor could essentially only prevail if the court issued an order or judgment against the government agency. To skirt the law, however, government agencies continued to stonewall the process by withholding documents up until the very last minute before a court order was to be imposed against them. The agencies played this game to avoid having to pay attorneys fees. Now they'll pay. Thanks to the Open Government Act, the requestor can prevail if the government agency changes its position, even if a court order has not been issued. For further (independent) commentary on this decision, click here.
Judicial Watch's lawsuit, and this court decision, will help to establish judicial precedent for other organizations seeking the release of government documents. In other words, this is a victory for Judicial Watch and for open government. To review the court decision, click here.
Judicial Watch Needs You!
I trust, through these Updates, you realize the value of Judicial Watch's good work against government corruption and for the rule the law. Whether it is battling illegal alien sanctuary policies in court, holding to account shady politicians of all political stripes, shining a light on our government, or generally being your "watchdog" in Washington - Judicial Watch is "the only the game in town" for conservatives and other fair-minded Americans who truly believe that "no one is above the law." I know many of you already financially support our work and for that I'm grateful. Each day we rely upon the ongoing support of the American people to continue our important work. To be blunt, fundraising slows down in the summer for obvious reasons, but our court cases and investigations continue. And corruption never takes a holiday.
These are critical times: as politicians gun for reelection or higher office this year, the watchdog role of your Judicial Watch is essential.
I ask you to strengthen our cause and make a financial contribution to Judicial Watch here.
Thank you in advance for your support, and I wish you and yours a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.
Until next week...
Tom Fitton
President
Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Judicial Watch is dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life.

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Judicial Watch Uncovers New FDA Records Detailing Ten New Deaths & 140 “Serious” Adverse Events Related to Gardasil

Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305

Washington, DC

Watchdog Publishes New Special Report Examining 8,864 Adverse Event Reports Detailing Safety Concerns

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released a report <http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/JWReportFDAhpvVaccineRecord
s.pdf>  based on new documents obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, detailing reports of adverse reactions to the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil. The adverse reactions include 10 deaths <http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/VAERS_Deaths.pdf>  since September, 2007. (The total number of death reports is at least 18 and as many as 20.) The FDA also produced 140 “serious” reports <http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/2008SeriousVAERS.pdf>  (27 of which were categorized as “life threatening”), 10 spontaneous abortions and six cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome <http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/VAERS2008Excerpt.pdf>  – all since January 2008. Adverse reports excerpts include:

*     Information has been received...concerning a 20 year old female
with no medical history reported, who on 01-APR-2008 was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil....The patient died four days after...patient sought unspecified medical attention. An autopsy was performed which ruled out suicide and anything suspicious. The cause of death is currently unknown. VAERS ID: 310262-1 (D)
*     Information has been received…concerning a 23-year-old female…
who on 31-JAN-2008 was vaccinated with her 1st dose of Gardasil...the patient experienced anaphylactic shock 2 minutes after vaccination characterized by a brief loss of consciousness...respiratory arrest, eyes rolled upwards, blurred vision and greyish skin tone...Anaphylactic shock was considered to be immediately life-threatening. VAERS ID:
304739-1 (S)
*     Cold sweat, Fall, Foaming at mouth, Grand mal convulsion,
Immediate post-injection reaction....Pt [patient, 14-year-old female] received vaccine, took 6 steps, fell to the ground unconscious and had a 60 sec grand mal seizure then regained consciousness. [Blood pressure] after seizure 60/40 pale clammy skin. [Patient] had bit her tongue and had foam around her mouth. VAERS ID: 305259-1 (S)
*     Information has been received from a physician concerning a
female patient who on an unknown date was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced a coma and is now paralyzed. At the time of this report, the patient's outcome was unknown. VAERS ID: 303188-1

“Given all the questions about Gardasil, the best public health policy would be to reevaluate its safety and to prohibit its distribution to minors. In the least, governments should rethink any efforts to mandate or promote this vaccine for children,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch had previously obtained 3,461 reports relating to Gardasil. On June 10, 2008, Judicial Watch received a compact disk from the FDA with a new total of 8,864 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS) records
<http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/Gardasil_VAERS_All> . These documents and the new Judicial Watch report, entitled “Examining the FDA’s HPV Vaccine Records: Detailing the Approval Process, Side-Effects, Safety Concerns & Marketing Practices of a Large Scale Health Experiment <http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/JWReportFDAhpvVaccineRecord
s.pdf> ,” are available at www.judicialwatch.org <http://www.judicialwatch.org> .

Judicial Watch Uncovers New FDA Records Detailing Deaths in 1,824 Adverse Reaction Reports Related to HPV Vaccine

Judicial Watch Sues FDA for Producing “Partial Response” to FOIA Request

(Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released new documents obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, detailing 1,824 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, including as many as eight deaths related to the vaccine. Judicial Watch had previously obtained 1,637 reports relating to Gardasil on May 15, 2007, bringing the known total to 3,461 adverse reactions including eleven deaths since FDA approval. Among the new information uncovered by Judicial Watch:

• “20-Jun-2007: Information has been received…concerning a 17 year old female who in June 2007…was vaccinated with a first dose of Gardasil… During the evening of the same day, the patient was found unconscious
(lifeless) by the mother. Resuscitation was performed by the emergency physician but was unsuccessful. The patient subsequently died.”

• “12-Jun-2007: Information has been received…concerning a 12 year old female with a history of aortic and mitral valve insufficiency…who on
01-MAR-2007 was vaccinated IM into the left arm with a first does of Gardasil…On 01-MAR-2007 the patient presented to the ED with ventricular tachycardia and died.”

• 28-Aug-2007: Initial and follow-up information has been received from a physician concerning an “otherwise healthy” 13 year old female who was vaccinated with her first and second doses of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced…paralysis from the chest down, lesions of the optic nerve…At the time of the report, the patient had not recovered.”

From May 10 to September 7, 2007, the 1,824 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) included 347 serious reactions. Of the 77 women who received the vaccine while pregnant, 33 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous abortion to fetal abnormities. Other serious side effects continue to be reported including, paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures.

“In light of this information, it is disturbing that state and local governments might mandate in any way this vaccine for young girls,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “These adverse reaction reports suggest the vaccine not only causes serious side effects, but might even be fatal.”

Judicial Watch filed its request on August 20, 2007, and received the adverse event reports from the FDA on September, 13 2007. (On October 3, 2007, Judicial Watch filed a new lawsuit against the FDA for its failure to fully respond to Judicial Watch’s FOIA request as required by law.)

*     Gardasil Related Deaths Reported to VAERS as of Sept. 7, 2007
<http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2007/GardasilVAERSUpdatedDeaths090
7.pdf>

*     Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Serious Reaction
Reports as of Sept. 7, 2007
<http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2007/gardasil.VAER.Supdated.seriou
s.pdf> 

*     VAERS Reports as of Sept. 7, 2007
<http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2007/GardasilVAERSUpdated.PDF> 

*     Judicial Watch complaint against the FDA
<http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2007/FDAComplaintcourtstamped.pdf>
Judicial Watch Uncovers Three Deaths Relating to HPV Vaccine

Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305

Washington, DC

Event Reports Obtained from FDA Detail 1,637 Adverse Reactions to Gardasil

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.

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.

“The FDA adverse event reports on the HPV vaccine read like a catalog of horrors,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Any state or local government now beset by Merck’s lobbying campaigns to mandate this HPV vaccine for young girls ought to take a look at these adverse health reports. It looks as if an unproven vaccine with dangerous side effects is being pushed as a miracle drug.”

Judicial Watch filed its request on May 9, 2007, and received the adverse event reports from the FDA on May 15, 2007. Judicial Watch has posted the adverse event reports on their Internet site at:
www.JudicialWatch.org <http://www.judicialwatch.org> .