Article about the dangers of HPV vaccine withdrawn

Julia Korowski, XX2 century, based on the materials of Science: Journal retracts paper claiming neurological damage from HPV vaccine

Journal Scientific Reports has withdrawn an article about the dangers of a vaccine against human papillomavirus. In 2016, Japanese doctors said that mice injected with a drug called Gardasil allegedly suffered from brain damage. The work was immediately criticized: according to scientists, the experiment did not reflect reality at all, and the article could spur "anti-vaccinators". The researchers demanded to withdraw the article and got their way – but it took them two and a half years.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to the development of cervical cancer and vaginal cancer, so recently, special vaccinations have been given to girls and women to prevent these diseases. The Gardasil vaccine appeared on the market in 2006, it is registered in 120 countries and is considered safe. Two years ago, researchers from Tokyo Medical University said that mice injected with Gardasil suffered from brain damage. Their work was criticized almost immediately. Scientists noticed that the vaccine was administered to animals at a dose a thousand times higher than normal. And a toxin was injected with it, which disrupts the work of the blood-brain barrier so that the drug gets into the central nervous system. In reality, in such "horse" doses, the medicine is not used and no toxins are injected into women. In general, it was completely unlike a real vaccination, so scientific groups from Belgium and Australia asked the editors to withdraw the article.

"I'm glad they finally managed to recall her, but it was a very long process," says Alex Vorsters from the University of Antwerp. All these 17 months the work has been in the public domain, during which time it has been cited 20 times and mentioned 1000 times in Twitter. Unfortunately, these figures, although seemingly insignificant, can seriously affect public opinion. Take, for example, Japan – here bright and dramatic battles are breaking out around the vaccine. In 2011, HPV vaccination was given free of charge in the city of Sapporo, and coverage was high – about 70%. In 2013, the Japanese government began to actively "promote" the vaccine at the state level. But in the same year, some girls began to complain about side effects – and after the media hype, the government removed Gardasil from the list of recommended vaccines. It was still possible to buy it, but the drug was not included in the "mandatory program". Vaccination coverage has dropped to almost zero.

Later, the commission of the Japanese Ministry of Health concluded that headaches, fatigue and other symptoms are not related to vaccination in any way. European and American doctors came to the same conclusions. But the government of the country has not resumed the promotion of the vaccine. Even though in Japan, cervical cancer is diagnosed in 9,000 women every year and about 3,000 of them die. The authorities refused Gardasil because of eyewitness accounts and articles in the press - what will happen if the fears are supported by research, albeit incorrect? And will exposure help?

"Unfortunately, I don't think the review of the article will affect public opinion in general, since most Japanese citizens probably don't know about this work," says Sharon Hanley, an epidemiologist at Hokkaido University. Incorrect research is exposed sooner or later, and science is moving forward, but they manage to harm ordinary people. Andrew J. Wakefield's article on the connection of vaccinations with autism was withdrawn in 2010, but the former doctor still goes to meetings with parents, leaving behind epidemics.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru