Green Options

A teen in Florida may be deported if she refuses to get the Gardasil vaccine.

Seventeen-year-old Simone Davis has been applying for citizenship for almost 10 years. When she was 3, she was abandoned and then adopted by her paternal grandmother, who married an American. The family moved to Port St. Joe, Fla.

Now, because she refuses to get the HPV vaccine, she may be sent back to England. That’s because Gardasil is among the required vaccines for citizenship. This vaccine is not mandated for American girls, though different localities have their own laws.

The FDA has ordered the manufacturer of Gardasil, Merck, to add a few more side effects to the HPV vaccine’s label: fainting, tonic-clonic (jerking) movements, and “seizure-like” reactions.

The FDA suggests that physicians talk to patients about these risks. They also suggest that girls remain at the doctor’s office for 15 minutes after receiving the shot so their reactions can be monitored.

Lay down for 15 minutes in case of seizure or fainting.

But is “laying down” the right prescription for this vaccine?