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'Pseudoscience' vaccine claims in
coroner's inquest - expert responds
20 September 2012
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The Immunisation Advisory Centre is calling into question testimony given in a high profile coroner's inquest, following concerns over the validity of the evidence provided.
The recent coronial inquiry into the death of teenager Jasmine Renata generated much interest, notably for live video links with overseas expert witnesses who challenged the safety of the HPV vaccine Gardasil.
A document released by the Immunisation Advisory Centre in Auckland addresses some obvious inconsistencies in the inquest's expert witness testimony. In addition to drawing on international research to back the safety of the Gardasil vaccine, the document also highlights several conflicts of interest arising from the experts' funding and investments.
Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, Director of Research at the Immunisation Advisory Centre at The University of Auckland comments:
"I was deeply disappointed to see conjecture and pseudoscience used in that forum in an attempt to bring a vaccine with such an excellent safety profile into question. Thinking through their assertions in a logical and sequential manner, it is apparent how far from reality the 'evidence' has strayed".
A full copy of the document is available here.
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