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
Unless there are MAJOR improvements to this before it's applicable for my daughter, I won't even consider it. It's insane how much damage has been done with this vaccine. And I'm NOT anti-vax by any means, but this one? THIS one is awful.
nope. and if the kids wants to get it when they're adults that's fine. but as i'm the one doing the decision making- nope. they also dont get the hep b or rotavirus or several others and guess what? they're alive. and so am i!!!!!!!
Not getting this one unless there are major improvements to the vax.
We don't vaccinate at all. But even if I did, there is NO WAY I would EVER get this one for my kids. The risks far outweigh the benefits. Especially when HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, not just something you can catch for no good reason. There are plenty of other ways to prevent HPV, and that's what I will be teaching my kids.
The title of this post is incredibly misleading. That the author fails to cite any actual proof of the side effects of the vaccine shows not only a huge bias against vaccination in general, but also ignorance of the benefits of the HPV vaccine. Personally, I got the vaccine and I have no problem, based upon research that did not include Jenny McCarthy's book, giving it to my children. As with any other vaccine, I made an informed decision; in this case, it was that the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweighed the possible side effects.
Prior to receiving the vaccine myself (as part of my research), I spoke to a gynecologic oncologist who told me that almost all the cases of cervical cancer in his practice were as a result of HPV and that the vaccine could virtually wipe out cervical cancer. Knowing this, I have difficulty understanding why anyone would refuse the vaccine. Cervical cancer is much more than an "unpleasant affliction" and the possibility that it could be eliminated as something that kills large numbers of women every year convinced me (in addition to research about possible side effects and results of the vaccine itself) that the receiving the vaccine was the correct choice for me and my children.