Suggesting that the controversial Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine could be “probable” cause of death of girls in Andhra Pradesh in 2010, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on alleged irregularities in the conduct of Path in India suggested the HPV vaccine as a possible, if not probable, cause of suicidal ideation could not be ruled out.
Noting gross violations on part of administrator of the vaccine Path, the expert committee also recommended the government to report the violation to the United States government so as to ensure appropriate action against Path under the laws of its country of origin.
The trial of the HPV vaccine, used to prevent cervical cancer, was started in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The administration of the vaccine, Gardasil, reportedly led to death of four girls in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Following this, an inquiry committee was set by the health ministry. The committee had, however, dismissed the possibility of deaths due to vaccination and suggested that speculative causes were suicides, accidental drowning in well, muyalaria, viral infections, sub-arachnoid haemorrhage etc. Contrary to this, the standing committee in its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday noted that “it has been given to understand that suicidal ideation is caused by many drugs. Since then one more death due to suicide in case of Gardasil has been reported in addition to 5 deaths reported during 2009-10. Therefore, HPV vaccine as a possible, if not probable, cause of suicidal ideation cannot be ruled out,” it said. Significantly, the parliamentary standing committee also found serious conflict of interest of some of the members of the inquiry committee set up by the ministry.
The panel took a serious view of the procedural and ethical lapses.