Follow-up (June 2013)

A follow-up:

We have tried repeatedly over the past 4 years to report this side-effect to VAERS, Merck, and the CDC. To date, nobody has taken our report.


Their reporting mechanisms are deeply, deeply flawed. Though this experience, we first learned how unsafe these vaccines can be. But since then, we have learned that nobody wants to hear about problems with vaccines ... and that many, many of the vaccine side-effects never get reported.

I learned that Merck lied to me initially (when I spoke to them on the phone) about having no reporting mechanism. They are required by law to take the report or to direct me to VAERS. Their defense was, I was talking to the wrong department (as if that's a valid excuse).

I've tried several times to fill out the online VAERS report. The first time, after over an hour filling out the multiple fields, I hit submit and an error message told me they were having site problems and to try again later. Jeez ... I wish you could have told me that BEFORE I wasted an hour.

I tried calling several times, and either got busy signals or put on hold indefinitely. I have kids, and can't sit on hold for over an hour, with no evidence that a human being would actually answer.

Merck has no online form to report problems that I can find. I tried to submit my experience with the CDC, but they needed the lot number from the vaccine to file a report, which I didn't have.

Are you getting the picture here? ...nobody wants to hear about problems with vaccines. They only want success stories. Can you imagine an uneducated person or busy single mom trying to cut through all this red tape?


I called the original doctor for the lot number for the vaccine - the original doctor was not there, and the staff did not know how to look up the lot number for the vaccine.


I tried VAERS online about 10 times (spending about an hour each time), and it errors out when I hit submit. My husband & I are very computer savvy ...this was not user error. This is either a poorly developed site, or it's intentionally rejecting submissions.


I called Merck (the correct department) again, and they told me to fill out VAERS online. I told them I had problems doing that, and could I submit a separate report with them. They transferred me, which hung up on me. Apparently, that department is only open from 9am to 9:05am on the 3rd Thursday of the month *if* it's a full moon.


So 4+ years later, we still have not been able to tell our story to any official reporting agency. I did however report it on RateADrug.com and also filled out a form on VacLib.org (a terrific yet overwhelming source of vaccine information).