Cervical Cancer Vaccine Proved Safe
Study Shows Human Papillomavirus Infection Mostly Preventable
Oct 8, 2009
Gardasil has been shown to be a safe vaccine after data from 23,000,000 doses administered during 2006 to 2008 was collected and analyzed by the drugs manufacturer, Merck & Co.
In fact, Merck provided slightly more than two thirds of the side effects reported to the U.S. Voluntary Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which enables anyone to report a suspected side effect of any vaccine. In total over 12,000 adverse side effects were reported, of which 772 were described as serious. Thirty two deaths were included in the reports.
Fainting Most Common Side Effect
Dr. Barbara Slade of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention said fainting after a vaccination of Gardasil was the most common side effect reported. As a result, Dr. Slade advised parents to drive girls to the vaccination appointment so they do not faint when going home afterwards. She thought the fainting might be related to the physical examination, often given at the time, for which fasting had been required. She suggested it might help to give girls a drink and a snack after a blood sample is taken and before the vaccine is given. The girls should then stay in the Doctors office for 15 minutes after vaccination.
Deaths Linked to Gardasil an Unfortunate Co-incidence
With regard to the 32 deaths reported, Dr. Slade said there was not a pattern discernible as those who died were of differing ages, the cause of death was often different and the time lapse since vaccination varied markedly. While it was a tragedy for the deceased and their families, Dr. Slade thought the deaths, though unexpected, were not caused by the vaccine.
Other Side Effects to Gardasil Vaccination
Other adverse side effects logged by the survey included redness, pain or swelling at the injection site. Reactions such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, some allergic reactions and autoimmune problems were also noted.
Of the two most common side effects reported, fainting seemed to occur at the rate of 8.2 for every 100,000 vaccinations and 0.2 per 100,000 of the recorded adverse reactions concerned blood clotting. Of the girls who experienced blood clotting problems, many had other health issues that predisposed them to an increased risk of blood clots. Dr. Slade said she was not dismissing a link between the Gardasil vaccine and blood clots and wanted this to be studied further.
American Medical Association Concludes Gardasil a Safe Vaccine
In August of 2009 the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded from this study that Gardasil was a safe vaccine and that its use in protecting against human papillomavirus (HPV), a cause of cervical cancer, was warranted as the drug had relatively few side effects. This conclusion has been supported by the findings of previous clinical trials except that the later study reported a slight increase in the number of fainting episodes and blood clots. Further studies are planned as the recent data is not considered to be definitive and research needs to be ongoing.
American Cancer Society Recommends Gardasil
Speaking for the American Cancer Society, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld said they will not be making any changes to their advice that young women aged over 9 years should be vaccinated to protect them from four types of the human papillomavirus. Another Dr., Richard Haupt, the executive director of research at Merck Research said the “benefit to risk profile of Gardasil is very favorable.”
Research has shown that Gardasil is very effective in preventing the infection of young woman with most Human Papillomavirus strains, genital warts and many precancerous lesions. It is most effective when administered to young girls before they are sexually active.
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