HPV Vaccine

The HPV vaccine is a relatively new vaccine that is recommended for all children and young adults to prevent cervical and other types of cancer. I remember when this vaccine was first gaining popularity, a nurse came to my middle school and all of the girls received the vaccine at school. I found a recent article that explained the current status of the HPV vaccine. This vaccine took 21 years to develop and it is commonly known by its commercial name of Gardasil. The vaccine causes the body to make antibodies against 7 different strains of HPV. Since the vaccine’s introduction, countries are already reporting a decline in the number of cases of HPV and related cancers.

              This article also went on to explain some of the side effects of the HPV vaccine, which are simply the side effects associated with any type of injection. These include injection site redness and swelling, and possible dizziness and lightheadedness. However, these symptoms quickly dissipate and the lasting benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the temporary mild discomfort. Some people claim that the HPV vaccine causes chronic fatigue syndrome, but there is no substantial evidence to support a causal relationship between the two. The HPV vaccine prevent the chances of cervical cancer by 75-85%, so these mild side effects should not prevent someone from getting the potentially lifesaving protection from the vaccine.

              I also found an older scholarly article that discussed the trial stages of the HPV vaccine. One of the main purposes of these trials was to show that the vaccine itself would not cause HPV infections. Since letting the patients in the trial develop cancer would be unethical, they were instead monitored for precancerous lesions as the endpoint. Cancer could also not be used as the “endpoint” because it is a relatively uncommon result of an HPV infection. The vaccine was particularly effective in younger girls because they had not had as much prior exposure to HPV. This vaccine is also recommended for men because of its efficacy against anal cancer.