Another vaccine question?

[GA girl]

I have another vaccine question. I had my yearly physical done today and asked my doctor about the Gardasil vaccine. Has anyone had it and had any reaction to it? Do you think that it is worth getting? Right now it is not a required vaccine, but I believe that it will be soon. My Doctor said that he does recommend it and would be giving it to his daughter but not until she was at least 13. I have two daughters (one is 10 and the other is 13) he told me that he would recommend it now for the 13 year old, but to wait a couple of years with my younger daughter.

[Terra]

Personally I would research this one more.
People are starting to have negative reactions to it and I believe there have been a couple of deaths because of it now.

It's a new vaccine and has not had time to be adequetly observed and studied [concerning longer term effects].

I would hold off if it were me.

[TinkiTime1989]

I am 18 and I just got my second of the three shots and have not had any reactions. My doctor recommended it and my mother who is a nurse recommends it as well. My best friend also has had two of the three shots and has not had any reactions either. Really I think it is up to the parents of the child as to whether or not to get the vaccine. Good luck with whatever decission you make.

[Auntie]

There are signs for this all over my daughters college campus. She is 20 and hasn't had it yet either. On one hand it sounds as if it's something you should have..and then again on the other..it just hasn't been around that long.

[Terra]

Sorry, forgot to add this information as well [My DS started crying! lol]

The biggest kicker for me is the fact that longterm effects are unknown. It was only in clinical trials for like 5 years before being released to the public. They don't know how this vaccine will effect the girls and women 20 years down the road.

It also only protects against types 6, 11, 16, and 18. Which are the 4 strains that are linked to a majority of cervical cancer cases. So that leaves the other 100+ able to infect. I guess I look at it as they're calling it an HPV vaccine and a cancer vaccine and that is giving a false sense of coverage. You can still get HPV, you can still get cervical cancer. And none of this means you can forgo routine checkups.

[MNNHFLTX]

Actually the statistics on Gardisil's effectiveness in preventing HPV (and therefore preventing cervical cancer) are pretty good--the four main strains that it offers almost complete protection against cause 70% of cervical cancer and it offers at least partial protection from 10 other strains that could prevent up to 90% of cervical cancer. Yes, theoretically a person could still become infected and develop cervical cancer even after being vaccinated, but the odds would be low. And if you think of it, even 70% protection would undoubtedly cause a huge drop in the rate of cervical cancer.

I agree, though, that potential side effects and long term effects may be something to be concerned about. Perhaps the data that's collected over the next few years will begin to give us a clearer picture as to whether it's considered a safe vaccine or not.

Personally, I know of two people (girls) who have gotten the initial vaccine and neither have had any adverse reactions.

[SBETigg]

I've been debating this issue as well. I'm glad you asked. I opted to pass on it for my DD (14) this year. Not sure about next year. My concern is the newness of the vaccine to the market. Side effects down the road? I just don't know. We can wait a year and see what we think next time. I say "we" because she hates injections and I am very big on her body being her business. I wouldn't let her pass up a good thing out of fear, naturally, I'm just not sold on it yet entirely myself so it is too soon to pass my opinion on to her.

[GA girl]

My doctor did give me a lot of information on this today and also some info to read up on. He said that it would be fine if I decided to wait a year or so before starting the shots. They are actually pretty expensive (about $250 per shot and you need 3) I have not checked into if my insurance will pay or not, but they probably do. The insurance clerk at the doctors office also told me that if my insurance did not pay that I could go to the health department and get the shot for about $10.
Right now I think that I am just going to wait awhile with my oldest DD.
Thanks for the responses so far.

[RenDuran]

I find it amazing how ads for this vaccine portray it as a real life-saver, when it only protects against a few strains of HPV. It's misleading and I decided to wait a few years to see if it's something I want my daughter to have.