Glad we passed on the Gardasil vaccine

[LisaR]

Great article about the lead researcher for the Gardisil vaccine. When the lead researcher makes comments about the safety of the vaccine and its overall effectiveness, one has to wonder why this thing is still being pushed.

http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/10/25/top_stories/doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt

 

[C.Ann]

Great article about the lead researcher for the Gardisil vaccine. When the lead researcher makes comments about the safety of the vaccine and its overall effectiveness, one has to wonder why this thing is still being pushed.

http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/10/25/top_stories/doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt

I can honestly say that the Gardisil vaccine is one that my DD is actually leaning away from.. She's just not comfortable with it..

However, when the time is right she will be getting the menengitis vaccine for my DGD (11 yrs. old)..

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks for sharing the article. It gives a person pause that's for sure! There was a lot of advertising for the vaccine not too long ago. Can't recall seeing one recently though. We weren't in the target audience.

 

[Sparx]

i definitely did not want this vaccine.

 

[OceanAnnie]

i definitely did not want this vaccine.

I read about a lot of girls passing out after receiving it. That seemed off to me.

 

[dislal]

I just declined this vacine for both of my DD's and I am glad I did.

 

[luvmy3]

Dd's ped recommended this at her last visit and I said no. He didn't push the issue and he just said okay we can discuss it next year. I just said okay but I don't plan on her getting it ever.

 

[dismom2]

Great article about the lead researcher for the Gardisil vaccine. When the lead researcher makes comments about the safety of the vaccine and its overall effectiveness, one has to wonder why this thing is still being pushed.

http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/10/25/top_stories/doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt

Well that certainly is an eye-opener, for sure. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who will still think it's safe, and a good idea to get it.
Our ped. was pushing it really hard, and I always said no. I'm very glad I didn't cave into all their pressure. I've read too many negative things about it already. But, it's interresting when a lead researcher says all this..... wow. And the article states that she was actually trying to promote it?! Fail. Thanks for posting this.

 

[maelstrom]

I read about a lot of girls passing out after receiving it. That seemed off to me.

After receiving the first shot, I got very nauseous and dizzy, and ended up vomiting and almost passing out in the hallway outside the doctor's office. Needless to say, I did not return for the subsequent shots.

 

[sbell111]

I suspect some sour grapiness.

 

[HeatherH]

I am VERY much in favor of vaccines, yet this was one I said NO to as well for my daughter, now 16. I am not one to be scared by all the internet crap about certain vaccines, I read ALL the literature and decide for myself. My daughter has had ALL of her vaccines (meningitis vaccine will come before college) except THIS one. I just could not convince myself it was safe. My daughter typically gets fevers after any vaccine as it is, and I just couldn't convince myself the benefit was worth the risk for this one.

I'm glad I made that decision.

 

[lsyorke]

And people wonder why there is so little faith in vaccines.....this is the perfect example of why!

 

[autumnpalm]

I did not and will not get the Gardasil vaccine. I am quite a bit older than the age they are targeting in school, etc with the campaign but still under 26. I've heard of a lot of unsettling side effects and will not vaccinate my children (if the vaccine is still around then).

 

[Aimros]

Although I myself have declined this vaccine for personal reasons, I think its important to remember how many people have received this vaccine. 15,000 adverse affects may seem like a lot, but a lot of girls have received this vaccine without a problem. There are adverse affects with any vaccine... and it really bothers me that Gardasil was marketed to prevent cervical cancer. It DOES NOT prevent cervical cancer, it prevents HPV infection which could someday possibly lead to cancer. The article isn't stating any new information, it's just the stuff ad campaigns choose to put a spin on. Its impossible, and would be impossible, to determine if getting a vaccine now can prevent against a cancer that won't show up for another 30-40 years... but this isn't the point anyway. The point is its suppose to prevent HPV, which is extremely common - so although I think this vaccine still needs some improvement, I think the biggest improvement they need is in their marketing strategy.

 

[sbell111]

... and it really bothers me that Gardasil was marketed to prevent cervical cancer. It DOES NOT prevent cervical cancer, it prevents HPV infection which could someday possibly lead to cancer.

From Gardasil.com:

GARDASIL is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV): 2 types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL is for girls and young women ages 9 to 26.

GARDASIL may not fully protect everyone, and does not prevent all types of cervical cancer, so it’s important to continue routine cervical cancer screenings. GARDASIL does not treat cervical cancer or genital warts. GARDASIL will not protect against diseases caused by other HPV types or against diseases not caused by HPV. GARDASIL is given as 3 injections over 6 months.

 

[Aimros]

From Gardasil.com:

Exactly! It doesn't prevent cervical cancer... not all types of HPV, even those 4 strains, will cause cervical cancer in every women who gets it. The vaccine is preventing the HPV... there are so many factors that go into cancer development. My point is that its marketing for cervical cancer because it sounds more "appropriate" to have a vaccine for cancer prevention rather than STD prevention.

 

[sbell111]

Exactly! It doesn't prevent cervical cancer... not all types of HPV, even those 4 strains, will cause cervical cancer in every women who gets it. The vaccine is preventing the HPV... there are so many factors that go into cancer development. My point is that its marketing for cervical cancer because it sounds more "appropriate" to have a vaccine for cancer prevention rather than STD prevention.

It's a vaccine that prevents some cancers. Obviously, it doesn't prevent all kinds of cancer, although that would be sweet.

If you offered me a vaccine that would keep me from getting pancreatic cancer, I would be very thankful, even though my chances of getting that kind of cancer are slim and I would still be at risk of getting some other kind of cancer.

 

[java]

"“There have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15 years.”

Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, studied only a small group of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated, but did not follow them long enough to conclude sufficient presence of effective HPV antibodies."

This is why my 12 year old won't be getting the vaccine. We live near Merck and know better than to jump on a new vaccine.

 

[luvmy3]

"“There have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15 years.”

Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, studied only a small group of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated, but did not follow them long enough to conclude sufficient presence of effective HPV antibodies."

This is why my 12 year old won't be getting the vaccine. We live near Merck and know better than to jump on a new vaccine.

Exactly. I don't care how its marketed all I care about is the fact that the long term or short term effects of this vaccine are unknown for my dd's age. I will take her for regular paps when she is of the age where she needs them, its safe and it worked at finding my pre-cancerous cells

 

[robinb]

I would like to read Dr. Harper's complete original comments and not ones that were cherry picked possibly out of context to support the newspaper's position. I had HPV and I had cervical cancer. Yes, "current treatment" did save me, but believe me when I say that I would have preferred to have a vaccination rather than losing a very large chunk of my cervix. So much of my cervix is missing that I was put on bedrest when I was pregnant with my DD because they were afraid that it was going to open spontaneously and I would lose my daughter. I still intend on giving my DD the vaccine when she is older.