HPV Vaccine?

Question

Is the HPV vaccine safe?

The reason i ask is i saw this video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=67910120131987915 and now the vaccination is mandatory in my school area.

Answer 1

As far as I'm concerned it is really a bit of an issue, particularly with respect to young school age girls where the Gardasil vaccine is also being promoted strongly. This vaccination cannot be taken lightly and although it is said to provide protection for upto 85% of HPV, there seems to have been an insufficient length of time (approx. 5 years) of trials to determine any likely side effects. This and the fact that the trials where conducted by the manufacturerers themselves (Merck and GlaxoSmithKline) and not an independant body, is of concern in itself! Further the age of the study group was 15 -26 years, and yet it is being promoted to girls under 15 that have yet to reach puberty. What effect is this likely to have? Who knows?
There are numerous articles on the safety and possible side effects and indeed the long term effectiveness of Gardasil to raise sufficient doubt in ones mind as to the necessity of having this particular vaccine. In all it appears that this drug was rushed through before full approval and in fact the FDA have stipulated for Merck to continue the monitoring and long term trial for girls under 15 years to confirm its safety. For us as parents there is sufficient doubt as to the safety that we postponed getting the vaccination for our daughter, until further studies and information comes to hand.

Following are some links to articles on the vaccine which you may wish to read. Ultimately it comes down to a risk evaluation of your own self and if you believe that you may sufficiently at risk of contracting the disease and the precautions that you may need to take so as to minimise the risk.

Answer 2

too new, they have no idea what the long term results are. how does it affect fertility, for instance. besides, this vaccine is overly hyped. it does not immunize against all strains of HPV (only 4 major ones); they shouldn't be allow to advertise that it prevents cervical cancer. it doesn't, it only reduces your chances. it doesn't do a damn thing if you've already got it, but it will protect you from getting the other 3, 2, or 1 of the strains in the vaccine. "Currently, there is no test available to tell if a girl/woman has had any or all of these four HPV types." ~ CDC. There isn't any treatment to suppress HPV - the doctors just make sure you aren't developing cancer (which they can treat). and it should NEVER be required as a condition of getting an education. HPV isn't like polio, measles, mumps, or those others; it is spread by sexual contact not casual contact. maybe someday they will figure out a test to see if a man is carrying HPV. "All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer." ~ CDC

Answer 3

A 2006 study suggests that the HPV vaccines may offer limited protection against a few HPV types that are closely related to HPVs 16 and 18. It is clear that other high-risk HPV types can circumvent the vaccines and a 2006 study of HPV infection in female university students found that only 14 of 78 infections with high-risk types of HPV were by types 16 and 18, the remaining 64 infections being with 16 other high-risk types of HPV .
Thus the vaccination gives false sense of protection.

Answer 4

The FDA has licensed the HPV vaccine as safe and effective. This vaccine has been tested in over 11,000 females (ages 9-26 years) around the world. These studies have shown no serious side effects. The most common side effect is soreness at the injection site.

Answer 5

I watched about 4 minutes of that lady speaking and she is so misinformed I had to stop...
Here is the information about the initial things she was incorrect about. Yes there are "over 100" strains of HPV, 6/11/13/18 are the most common associated with cancer. Also it is not a "live vaccine"..
"The licensed HPV vaccine is composed of the HPV L1 protein, the major capsid protein of HPV. Expression of the L1 protein in yeast using recombinant DNA technology produces noninfectious virus-like particles (VLP) that resemble HPV virions. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is a mixture of four HPV type-specific VLPs prepared from the L1 proteins of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 combined with an aluminum adjuvant. Clinical trials indicate that the vaccine has high efficacy in preventing persistent HPV infection, cervical cancer precursor lesions, vaginal and vulvar cancer precursor lesions, and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18 among females who have not already been infected with the respective HPV type. "

Answer 6

It appears to be very safe so far.
The thing is that it's so new that there isn't any long-term research (at least not in a wide spectrum) as to its safety and effectiveness.