The CDC is "very disappointed" with us. Gasp! For shame! Yes, the Centers for Disease Control don't like the fact that only one third of teen girls in America have received the recommended three doses of the HPV vaccine -- Guardasil -- only half have volunteered to get the vaccination at all. As you probably know, the vaccine protects against human papilloma virus, a sexually-transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer being the rather unpleasant affliction that it is, the CDC can't understand why, as parents, we're not dragging our girls to the doctor and rolling up their sleeves for them. But shockingly enough, the HPV vaccine is not in fact the magic bullet they'd have us believe.
There are, as it turns out, some pretty serious risks associated with the HPV vaccine, ranging from random fainting spells to life-threatening blood clots to chronic autoimmune disease and even death. Plus, researchers aren't even sure if the vaccine remains effective after five years. Which, for a vaccine against a sexually transmitted disease that's administered during adolescence, doesn't really make sense -- the protective qualities will wear off just when women need them the most.
Of all the decisions we have to make as parents on our children's behalf, I think some of the most difficult judgment calls have to do with vaccinations. This is because 1.) The choices we make directly impact our children's health in potentially drastic ways, and 2.) There is so much conflicting information thrown at us about whether vaccines are dangers to be avoided or life-saving imperatives.
I was relieved when my kids were past the point of boosters and combination vaccines and shots that left them feverish and cranky for hours. But now my daughter is 10, and soon I'll have to decide whether or not to get her vaccinated for HPV.
What would you decide?
Image via Zaldylmg/Flickr
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Comments 67
no HPV vaccine for my children. risks outweigh the benefits on this one
I was offered the hpv vax for myself and I turned it down because it hasn't been out long enough to see all the side effects and how long it works.
If the vaccine had been out for 25 yrs or so and was deemed safe and effective then I would have gotten it, I simply don't want to be a guinea pig and that's exactly what it still is at the moment.
Luckily my daughter wont be ready for this vaccine for another 10-15 years so more studies of the vaccine itself as well as long term studies will be underway if not completed as well as effectiveness over time. IF it proves to do what they say it does and lasts as they think it will then I will get it for my daughter. Im lucky that I get to wait and see before I have to make this decision. If it were in the here and now and I needed to make the decision today, it would have to be a no...
The HPV vaccine came out about the same time as I got my first "womanly" appointment. My NP who did the exam talked about my options and basically said "I won't deny a patient the vaccine if they want it, but until it's been on the market long enough for me to see the long-term effects on the population I'm not going to recommend it unsolicited." I thought that was a wise approach, and chose not to get it. I did not see it as necessary for my lifestyle.
This is the case with any big new prescription drug. We gotta keep ourselves informed and proceed with caution, not just believe everything the FDA tells us. How many drugs have we seen the lawsuit commercials for after 5 to 10 years? And how many are recalled?