What do you think of the New HPV vaccine?

Question

Pros and Cons.....Remember we will be the first group of women it has ever been tested on.

Answer 1

The HPV vaccine is definitely a great step towards the right direction...Before making any conclusions about it though we need to consider certain facts...It is not known yet if it really protects against cervical cancer and if it does how long the protection lasts; all clinical trials out there had a follow of up to 5 years or so and the main parameters followed are antibody titers against HPV (if these particular antibodies are really protective against cancer needs to be shown. HPV is a one of the factors (but not the only one) associated with the development of cervical cancer; the re are other identified factors associated with the development of cervical cancer; thus the extent to which HPV vaccine will reduce cervical cancer remains to de seen. It is also true that the vaccine has not been associated with any major side effect which is a great thing; there are few reported serious side effects (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, facial palsy) though which are encountered very rarely (CDC recently released an update on this http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ACIP/slides/feb07/08-hpv-3-markowitz.pdf). In conclusion, HPV vaccine is a breakthrough vaccination which could potentially result in great public health benefits but all this still needs to be seen since the existing data offer limited information on the long term effectiveness of the vaccine...

Answer 2

It's WRONG to say we're going to be the first women this vaccine will be tested on.

Gardasil has been tested VERY thoroughly. It has been through extensive clinical trials and has shown very, VERY low incidence of adverse events (mostly due to the actual injection like bruising or arm pain, not due to the vax itself!), and almost 100% effectiveness.

Pros? I like being protected against the leading strains of HPV. I have read the literature about this vaccine and I have critiqued the methodology myself (I am an epidemiologist, these are things I do as part of my work). I like the success rate in their trials. and as a person who has studied HPV, I know the toll it takes on women worldwide. Deaths from cervical cancer can be cut drastically if the vaccine were made available to poor countries.

As for cons, I don't like needles. But it's a small price to pay to guard my health.

Answer 3

I think HPV is very dangerous and very easy to get. The only known side effects are normal vaccine reactions, like swelling and itching at the injection site and redness. SO far there aren't any known con's. That's the bad part, they just dont know what Will happen down the road. For now, a vaccine that can keep you from getting a virus that's known to cause cervical cancer and genital warts sounds like a wonderful tool.

Answer 4

The HPV vaccine (Gardasil) protects against the main types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. The vaccine isn't a treatment for existing HPV infection or genital warts. However, the vaccine may benefit women already infected with one or more types of HPV by protecting them against the HPV types they don't have.

Answer 5

i think it is a good thing that there is a vaccine for hpv. it causes cancer!! hello and those who are opposed to it are dumb they think that the vaccine will promote their children to have sex well i hate to tell you but the reason they are giving the vaccine to young girls is bc they are already having sex hello. i see it as saving lives. i was infected with hpv and i only had sex with one person and now i have to live with the fact i could die from cancer!! i wish they would have had the vaccine before i found out and i would have got it. so i think that parents need to stop being so blind and relize they could be saving their kids life bc weather they want to beleive it or not their child could be having sex and then what are they going to think when their daughter finds out she has hpv?? i bet they will change their minds then. i think they should start looking at the ups of this disease such as it saves lives rather then it will influence sex.

Answer 6

I have cervical cancer. I was always careful but my husband wasn't if I would have had the vaccine, I would not have cancer. It is that simple. Even if you never have sex what if someone rapes you and gives you this virus and you get cancer. If you had the shots then you would not die. Even if you stay a virgin until you get married who is to say your husband did. That fact is that there is a vaccine for cervical cancer. Why would you not take it? And to the moms, if you could give your daughters a vaccine for AIDS would you? Yes you would b/c it isn't giving them permission to have sex it only takes care of one virus there are many others out there. You have the chance that my mother didn't you have the chance to save you daughters life. PLEASE, just spread the word that this is a good thing. I only wish me and all the woman who have died or are dying could have had the chance that you young girls have.

Answer 7

If I were young enough I would go for it, anything that will stop any kind of cancer is worth it, cancer is a bad thing to have, I have seen 3 people I love dearly die for cancer one was only 30 i am all for it

Answer 8

I think that it's a cool step in cancer research and if we can get rid of one way of getting one type of cancer, that's an awesome start.