HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. It is an epidemic. By the age of 50 more than 80% of the population has been infected. HPV causes cervical, vulvar, and anal cancer for women and penile and anal cancer for men. It is also the cause of genital warts a condition that affects more than 1 million Americans. In the United States 12,000 women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 4,000 will die from this disease.

The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, prevents HPV infection. The FDA recently recommended approved its use for boys as well as girls. Vaccination in early adolescence is optimal as the vaccine is most effective before the onset of sexual activity. The expanded recommendations for the vaccine have led to renewed discussion about its safety.

 

There are reports of serious adverse events with the HPV vaccine, in particular: syncope (fainting), venous thromboembolism (blood clots), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a paralysis), transverse myelitis (a serious inflammation of the spinal cord), and death. However, this information is collected from the VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system) and the data are far from perfect because VAERS is not a very accurate system. The data is collected passively (after the fact) so some adverse events go unreported. In addition, later analysis of many adverse events often indicates they were not caused by the vaccine itself, but were coincidental. Therefore VAERS is subject to both over and under reporting.

 

According to data from VAERS serious vaccine events are reported in 5-7% of young girls who receive the HPV vaccine. The most common adverse event is syncope (fainting). However, syncope is also reported after many adult vaccinations.

 

In response to the concerns raised by both VAERS and vaccine critics the CDC is closely monitoring a cohort of more than 150,000 HPV vaccine recipients (this study is funded by the Federal Government, not Big Pharma). According to Dr. Kevin Ault, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Emory University and an HPV expert, more than 377,000 doses of the HPV vaccine have been scrutinized. Data from this study was presented at the CDC in October of 2008. Says Ault, “There was no association with any of the bad outcomes outlined by critics-no increased rates of Guillain-Barre, seizures, or allergic reactions”. In addition, Dr. Ault indicated his 12-year-old daughter just received her second injection a few weeks ago.

For more info: on the HPV vaccine

 

Remember, this column does not represent individual medical advice.