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In 2020, the American Autonomic Society (AAS) published a position statement asserting that “there are no data to support a causal relationship between HPV vaccination and CRPS, chronic fatigue, POTS, or other forms of dysautonomia.” Interestingly, however, internal emails between AAS Board Members, obtained by ICAN’s attorneys, reveal that some AAS board members did not necessarily agree with this conclusion.
AAS asserts it focuses on the pathology, treatment, and prevention of dysautonomia (disorders of the autonomic nervous system). The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary body processes like breathing, heart rate, and digestion. In discussions about AAS’s statement on HPV vaccination, one board member, Dr. Steven Vernino, stated: “One could argue that the possibility of dysautonomia after vaccination hasn’t been completely excluded.” Another board member agreed, saying, “Steve hits the nail on the head.”
It’s not surprising some of these board members had concerns given that, for over a decade, multiple studies have linked HPV vaccines and POTS (and other autoimmunity diseases).
The emails also show that AAS board members collaborated on an infographic to accompany the release of the position statement. Several board members expressed concern with the first draft of the infographic. For example, Dr. Wolfgang Singer, then-president of AAS, stated, “While I think this looks nice, and I fully support the use of HPV vaccine, I wonder if this is going too far in terms of what the AAS as an organization should do? This looks like an HPV advertisement to me, which goes beyond the message of the article.” Other members agreed, one stating, “It looks nice but I agree with Wolfgang that this looks like a promotional/informational piece for CDC and very pro-vaccine.” It is deeply telling that even back in 2019, AAS board members viewed CDC as a promotional arm of the pharmaceutical industry.
In the end, the infographic was revised slightly to address “the concerns of some AAS Board members that it was too strongly pro-vaccination,” but some board members still had reservations, including a comment that “[t]he only thing I wonder about is whether we should ‘soften’ [the title] a bit by saying ‘No proven link’ instead of ‘NOT linked.’” That suggestion was not adopted, and the title of the infographic was ultimately revised to “HPV vaccination: No link to POTS or dysautonomia,” which, as with so many statements about vaccines, still incorrectly gives the impression that this claim is a proven fact.
This is another reminder that when presented with assertions that appear to be the “consensus” of medical experts, one should keep in mind that any dissent behind the scenes rarely makes it to the public. ICAN will continue to shed light on these important conversations that occur behind closed doors, so that the public can make truly informed decisions.
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