European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance chooses Alicia Capilla – EFVV Honorary Member

Alicia Capilla

[SaneVax:  The SaneVax team would like to congratulate Alicia Capilla Lanagrán (Chairwoman of AAVP – Association of HPV vaccine Victims) for her recent appointment as honorary member of the European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance (EFVV). Alicia has worked tirelessly for years to obtain recognition and treatment for the survivors of adverse reactions to HPV vaccines in Spain. No one deserves this honor more than her. Read about her work below.]

AAVP and Alicia Capilla

AAVP (Association of HPV vaccine Victims) is a non-profit association campaigning for decent medical care for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine victims.

The association was formed on  9th July 2009 in Valencia.  That same day, we launched our website www.aavp.es and we also submitted a petition to both the Valencian Department of Health and the Spanish Ministry of Health, demanding a Moratorium on the HPV vaccine.

On  23rd December  2009, we submitted to the Ministry of Health more than 9,500 signatures of people demanding that the Spanish Health Authorities recognise the side effects girls have suffered from this vaccine.

For two consecutive years, we have taken part in the “Biocultura” trade fair  organized by  La Liga para la Libertad de Vacunación and on 4th October 2010 we took part in ‘International Week: Vaccine Victims’, in Gerona, Spain.  We have also participated in other events such as the “Concepción Arenal” seminar organized by the University of Alicante on 4th November  2010 and the College of Nursing event at the University of Valencia on 24th November 2010.

AAVP has repeatedly called for vaccine injury recognition, mandatory informed consent (based on the evidence of serious complications) and finally, withdrawal of the vaccine by the Spanish Health Authorities from the national schedule.  The death in September 2012 of a 13-year-old girl in Gijon, from a vaccine-induced asthma attack, was unacceptable under any circumstances.  This led on 9th October 2012 to the release of our Manifesto, signed by health professionals, victims, concerned associations and personalities from the medical profession, politicians and journalists, among others.

In this document, we insist that medical professionals must provide adequate and unbiased information to families before administering this vaccine and that a compensation fund for vaccine victims must be set up by the Ministry of Health.  We also demand that the HPV vaccine for girls be withdrawn from the schedule and that it not be extended to younger children for two main reasons:

The risks of administering this unnecessary vaccine to a young population, when preventive measures, such as Pap smears, condoms and sex education (because HPV is a sexually-transmitted infection) are available, effective and safe.

The unjustified costs of this vaccine for the Spanish Health System, at a time when we are suffering indiscriminate cuts that threaten health benefits and compromise impartiality.

AAVP recently collaborated with the Liga para la libertad de vacunación on the drafting of “Documentos 6 para la reflexión”, containing an in-depth analysis of the HPV vaccine.

Our attempts over the last four years to obtain a hearing with the Minister of Health have all been unsuccessful.  This attitude in a politician responsible for ensuring the health of his citizens is incomprehensible, especially when public health has been put at risk by the inclusion in the immunization schedule of a vaccine which is unnecessary for our daughters: clearly a political rather than a medical decision.

Our association will continue to work modestly but persistently to obtain justice for these victims.

Alicia Capilla Lanagrán (Chairwoman of AAVP)

via EFVV – European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance – EFVV Honorary Members – AAVP.