I’m still surprised at the responses some parents have when I mention that it is time for their kids to get their HPV vaccine.
While most say things like, “good, I was wondering when they would start it,” a minority still use arguments that could come straight off of any anti-vaccine website or forum.
Is the HPV Vaccine Dangerous?
The HPV isn’t dangerous, but it is easy to see why some parents still think that it is.
How many myths about the HPV vaccine have you heard?
“I don’t like this vaccine… Heaven help us if we have a generation of kids who get a hepatitis B vaccine and a HPV vaccine and they think that now unprotected sex is okay…
I don’t think it is really clear that this vaccine is really as safe as they say it is and it is certainly not as dangerous as they say it is, but I recommend against it in my practice.”
Dr. Jay Gordon discussing the HPV vaccine on the Ricki Lake Show
You can rest assured that they aren’t true.
Deciding to Get an HPV Vaccine
The HPV vaccines are well studied and in continuing studies have only been found to cause mild side effects, just like most other vaccines.
Still undecided?
“The manufacturers of Cervarix and Gardasil are following patients in Scandinavia for at least 15 years to verify that protection from both vaccines lasts at least that long.”
National Cancer Institute on HPV Vaccines
Parents who are still hesitant should know that:
- Gardasil, the first HPV vaccine, was approved by the FDA in 2006. The first phase 1 and phase 2 trials began in 1997. It has been given to over 200,000,000 children, teens, and young adults for over 10 years now all over the world.
- while fainting might occur after vaccination, it is also not uncommon after other vaccinations and medical procedures, especially in teens. It is not a specific issue caused by the HPV vaccine or any vaccine, for that matter.
- the HPV vaccine does not cause primary ovarian failure, venous blood clots, behavior problems, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders, or any of the other serious side effects you read on the Internet
- while the HPV vaccine won’t protect against all forms of HPV, it protects against the forms that are most likely to cause cervical cancer. Just two types of HPV, types 16 and 18, cause 70% of cervical cancers, and another two types, types 6 and 11, cause 90% of genital warts. All are included in the Gardasil vaccine and Cervarix includes the types most likely to cause cervical cancer.
- HPV is not rare – in fact, it is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. While many infections do go away on their own, spontaneously, others linger and can cause cervical cancer.
- HPV doesn’t just cause cervical cancer though, it can also cause vaginal, vulvar, penile, and anal, and oropharyngeal cancer, and genital warts
- the HPV vaccines seem to provide long lasting protection, although, as with any new vaccine, we won’t know just how long the true duration of protection is until the vaccines have been out even longer. So far, Gardasil and Cervarix are providing protection that lasts at least 8 and 9 years.
- boys need the HPV vaccine too, as there are around 11,000 cases of HPV induced cancer in men each year, including anal cancer and cancers of the mouth/throat and penis.
- you want your child to get the HPV vaccine before they are having sex, to prevent them from ever getting infected with HPV, which is why it is routinely recommended when kids are 11 to 12 years old. That they are not sexually active yet is the whole point! As with other vaccines, if you continue to wait, you might eventually wait too long, although you can still get the vaccine if they are already sexually active, even if they are already infected with HPV, as it might protect them against another strain that they don’t have yet.
- getting the HPV vaccine does not make it more likely that a teen will have sex
- using condoms will not prevent all HPV infections. HPV can also spread through nonpenetrative sexual contact.
- cervical cancer is serious, with about 4,200 women dying of cervical cancer each year, even in this age of routine pap tests
- although you may hear that the HPV vaccine has been banned in some places, it is still offered in Japan, Utah, and other places where they talk about these bans, and since 2014, at least 64 countries have added the HPV vaccine to their immunization schedule
Get educated about vaccines and get your kids their HPV vaccine series. Remember that if you start the series before your kids are 15 years old, they only need two doses of the vaccine. After 15 years, they need 3 doses.
What To Know About Deciding to Get an HPV Vaccine
The HPV vaccines are safe, they work, and are necessary, which are beliefs shared by experts and most parents who decide to get their kids vaccinated and protected against HPV.
More Information on Deciding to Get an HPV Vaccine
- Ask the Experts – HPV Vaccine
- NCI – HPV Vaccines
- WHO – Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety Statement on Safety of HPV Vaccines
- CDC – HPV Vaccine Safety
- CDC – Frequently Asked Questions about HPV Vaccine Safety
- I’m pro-vaccine, but that HPV vaccine…
- Just Another Shot: Reframing the HPV Vaccine
- The importance of the HPV vaccine in one graphic. Really.
- History of the HPV Vaccines
- HPV Vaccine Safety and Acceptance
- Gardasil safety and efficacy – debunking the HPV vaccine myths
- Gardasil HPV Vaccine Safety Assessed In Most Comprehensive Study To Date
- HPV vaccines and failure to communicate
- Dr. Diane Harper and HPV vaccines –the tin foil hat version
- Updated – Japan and HPV vaccine – debunking myths
- Another study shows no link between HPV vaccine and autoimmune diseases
- HPV vaccine causes primary ovarian insufficiency – myth
- Gardasil causes behavioral issues – more myth debunking
- HPV vaccine is unrelated to venous blood clots in another huge study
- HPV vaccine adverse events – this time, POTS
- Gardasil DNA and aluminum – myth debunking time
- Antivaccinationists against the HPV vaccine , Round 5,000
- Gardasil HPV Vaccine Safety Assessed In Most Comprehensive Study To Date
- Study should dispel HPV vaccine myths
- Why Some Parents Are Refusing HPV Vaccine For Their Children
- Study – Parents’ decision-making about the human papillomavirus vaccine for their daughters: II. Qualitative results.
- Study – Parental Response to Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Availability: Uptake and Intentions
- Study – The number of injected same-day preschool vaccines relates to preadolescent needle fear and HPV uptake.
- Study – HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents of female adolescents: a pre-post interventional study.
- Study – Improving Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Use in an Integrated Health System: Impact of a Provider and Staff Intervention.
- Study – Global estimates of human papillomavirus vaccination coverage by region and income level: a pooled analysis
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