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July 25th, 2013
03:25 PM ET
Teen girls still skipping HPV vaccineNearly half of all adolescent girls are still skipping the recommended HPV vaccine, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC report shows that the human papillomavirus vaccination rates for this group remained relatively unchanged for 2012, with 53.8% of teen girls receiving one dose of the vaccine and only 33.4% completing the three dose series. The numbers mirror percentages from 2011, when 53% of adolescent girls received one dose of the HPV vaccine and 34.8% completed the series. The CDC previously attributed these low vaccination rates in part to the inadequate number of encounters with healthcare providers. However, new reports have shown that 84% of un-vaccinated girls have visited a doctor or other provider's office, where they have received other vaccinations but did not receive the HPV vaccine. The report suggests that coverage could be as high as 92.6% if the HPV vaccination had been initiated during these visits. “Parents need reassurance that the HPV vaccine is recommended at 11 or 12 because it should be given well in advance of any sexual activity,” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden has said in the past. “We don’t wait for exposure to occur before we vaccinate with any other routinely recommended vaccine.” HPV rates down more than expected Frieden also said that health care providers are not doing enough to promote vaccination and that physicians should recommend this vaccine just as they recommend others. Nearly 26,200 HPV-related cancers occur in the United States every year, affecting both sexes, according to the CDC. Cervical cancer and oropharyngeal cancer account for the most prevalent HPV-related cancers in females and males, respectively. The HPV vaccine protects against the virus that causes 70% of cervical cancers. The CDC is disappointed with the low number of girls getting vaccinated, as well as the relatively small percentage of girls who are completing the recommended three doses. “Finishing the series is critical,” said Patsy Stinchfield, director of Infectious Disease and Immunology at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. “This vaccine is not fully effective unless you complete all three doses.”
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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The HPV is recommended so the pharmaceutical companies can make millions. It's not required, nor do we even know what the side effects are years down the road. I'm certainly not surprised that parents aren't rushing their kids to get jabbed. I wouldn't.
that, or so 20,000 cases of cancer can be prevented annually... potato, po-insane conspiracy-ato
So you'd rather let your kids run the risk of cancer? Years of chemo treatments and a high risk of death are preferable?
Get a grip Maria. This vaccine only prevents 4 types of HPV, there are many other strains. That being said, no way in Haiti I'm recommending this to my teenage daughter when it hasn't been out long enough to determine side effects or long term issues with using it. We'll stick with our pap test, thanks but no thanks..
Some time ago I read an article about the lead developer of the vaccine coming forward with information about the vaccines being dangerous, inadequately tested, and fairly ineffective. Here is a link to the article.: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/gardasil-and-cervarix-dont-work-are-dangerous-and-werent-tested_072013
Just FYI Janet - I had a pap test every 6 months religiously as recommended and they do not necessarily catch cervical cancer. I had stage four cervical cancer and a pap never caught it so just know that a pap isn't a 100% perfect test for catching these cancers.
@Janet, yes, it only covers four strains of HPV. Those are the MOST COMMON strains and also the strains most likely to cause cancer.
i agree with your comments. however, NO vaccines are "required". None of my 3 children have any of the vaccines. They all go to school (which is another myth) and are healthy kids outside of the normal ear infection, cold and flu.
And if they came up with a vaccination for cancer you wouldn't take that you because a drug company would be making a profit?
Look.. for you parents that do NOT vaccinate.. that is just foolhardy and dangerous to your children. A TON of diseases are preventable by vaccines- measels, mumps, rubella, polio, whooping cough, smallpox and now even chickenpox. There is NO danger of autism or anything. These other diseases can be fatal, can be disfiguring, and can even cause sterility in some cases. You want to risk ALL of that just because of your mistaken belief that vaccines are only there to make pharma companies money?? Good lord.
The vaccine is not needed. The best way to prevent HPV? Safe sex practices. This jab may or may not prevent cervical cancer - but it will not protect against other STDs and pregnancy. Teach girls (and boys) to use a condom every time. Rates of cervical cancer, pregnancy and other STDs will go down. And you don't have to worry about the safety of a vaccine that has had numerous adverse reactions associated with it.
If they want to make money, they'll just sell a bunch of placebos and market them as the elixers of life like what the herbal supplement industry is doing right now. If they want to do it legally, they'll just let people get sick and sell them tried and true medications since it takes a while to treat cancer and medicine costs a fortune.
I'm not sure how much things have changed, but I personally was not able to afford the HPV vaccine when I was a teen because it was not covered by my insurance.
Wow, tough choice here, do I listento the advice of an OB Doctor with years of training and expertise, or take the advice of conspiracy theorists on CNN. What will I do?
Your body's immune system is constantly stimulated to produce neutralizing antibodies or cell based T-cell immunity against a daily dose of everything you encounter that appears "non-self" or foreign to your body. That includes bacterial and viral coat proteins, unnusual lipopolysaccharides from bacteria in your gut and just about every and anything else yuo come into contact with, ingest or breathe in. The Human Papilloma Virus vaccine, just like all other vaccines, is composed of purified protein antigens from these viruses to illicit the same type of immune response from your body. Within a week or two these proteins are already cleared from your body but you now have protecting antibodies and an "immune memory" which last for years. The staggered booster shots are to fine tune and make your antibody response more potent and efficient allowing you to mount an effective response to a "real infectious challenge" within a day or two. There is no mystery as to how this works and there are no hidden "long term" side effects that require years before they appear. Vaccines use your body's own natural defensive system and are CHEAP and incredibly EFFECTIVE.
The reason why teenage girls (and boys) at age 11 or 12 are most suitable to be vaccinated is exactly because they generally do not have a high incidence of HPV at this age and are not yet sexually active. By the late teenage years, most teenagers already have had some HPV exposure -> risk of future cervical, oral cancers. The vaccine prevents and protects against the initial infection. It really is a CURE (rather than just a treatment) to prevent these types of cancers to develop.
Now if you want to argue whether the $300/vaccine is a cost effective tool for a national public health policy that seeks to vaccinate millions of qualified Americans to provide lifetime protection rather than letting 20,000 women die each year from "preventable" cervical cancer, you can certainly do the actuarial accounting to calculate the value and economic loss of those lives and come to a rational decision as to whether it should be included in any healthcare plan i.e. you get to be on the insurance companies' death-panels. But let's not begrudge the vaccine developers for an amazing breakthrough and for bringing this vaccine to market. Yes, it's not as cheap as many other vaccines but that's only because those are heavily subsidized by public financing and they already have a long history of use. New products have to go through expensive and intensive FDA approval.
The pharmaceutical companies are pushing this very dangerous drug – yes, absolutely..it's a huge money maker. Cervical cancer is not that common – I wouldn't have my own daughter injected. By the way this drug has immediate, and sometimes very serious side effects. Some girls died from it.
Eastender is right – I'm very familiar with this issue. Don't subject your girls to this latest poison.
Yeah, no thanks. Too expensive, too painful, and if everyone else is geeting one why should I?
...to Eastender...We should hold you legally responsible for the future health problems of those that do not get the vaccine. Is it wise to risk all that can occur from the virus it protects you from? You must be a Republican. You deny everything.
Hope you get genital warts....stupid loser
Effects years down the road? Obviously you don't know how vaccines work. It is a incomplete version of the virus that activate the bodies natural immune system. Since the vast majority of people will get exposed to the virus in some form you are not avoiding anything. So the chances that there are long term unknown effects is about the chance that it becomes known that roosters crowing in the morning is really what makes the sun rise.
So take your pick of a known increase in different cancers or fear based on no evidence and ignorance. I support your freedom to make a fear based ignorant choice.
Some side effects that have been reported by parents-the vaccine itself is very painful when received and paralysis may occur. I would recommend researching further before believing something blindly. Given how new this is and how few strains of the virus it does protect against, I think parents have a right to be overly cautious.
And you medical degree is from where ?
RaiSon you are misinformed. there is NO vaccine on the planet that "prevents" any disease.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/19/science/la-sci-sn-hpv-vaccine-infection-rate-cancer-20130619
So many are so deeply misinformed on this vaccine. It works, it's safe, and it's long term effects are reduced risk of cervical and probably head and neck cancer, a true nightmare. Parents should make the choice knowing that 50% of people get hpv. As for paps, yes they also tell you if you have chronic infection, then precancerous, then need your cervix snipped off piece by piece, to the point you sometimes cannot hold a pregnancy at all, or may need it wired shut (you read that right). It's been tested since the late nineties, and has been used in millions upon millions. What I can never figure? Do the anti- vaccine folks really, really believe that there is a vast conspiracy among companies, governments, academics and patient advocates to conceal the truth? There is no conspiracy. The enemy here is hpv. You can prevent it. Simple. Google Michele Baldwin hpv vaccine to get inspired. Fight ignorance, fight death. Choose health. Choose to be protected, not misinformed.
Maybe parents aren't having their kids vaccinated because of the horrible side effects of the vaccine? If you read the two pages of warnings posted in magazines that advertise the vaccine, you'd have to be crazy to put your kids through that. Pharmaceutical companies put a lot effort into figuring out how best to market their products, including vaccines. Who cares what damage they do to the people?
My mother had one sexual partner (my father), got HPV, got cervical and uterine cancer, and had to have a hysterectomy at the age of 25. Lucky for her, the cancer had not spread. Not every young woman is going to be able to say that. The risks involved with the vaccine are less than any other risk–you go for a drive in your car, and you have a 1:67 chance of being killed–and this is something that has been proven to cut cancer down by 1/3rd. Run the risk!
"you go for a drive in your car, and you have a 1:67 chance of being killed"
Uh, no.
Look at the side effects of any drug/vaccine out there. Are you kidding? Majority of the time the side effects are 9x worse than the illness itself. My friend was one of the very few who had liver failure from taking birth control and almost died. Does that mean everyone should not take birth control (or any medicine really) because there is a chance a few people have bad reactions?
No, vaccines come with basically zero side effects which makes a lot of since considering how you only need one shot every few years or once a life time.
The stupidity in skipping this vaccine is astonishing. Here, you have a way to definitely cut down on the odds of cancer, and people are letting ignorance, irrational fear and societal pressure influence common sense. I'm 42 and go through the V.A., where they won't let me have the shot due to my age (as if I'm somehow immune from HPV at my age?). Take advantage of today's medical advancements!
Maria – I see you responded to many opponents of this vaccine. I'm curious, which pharmaceutical company do you work for?
The vaccine was not shown to be effective for older populations, so it is not licensed for anyone outside of the 9-26 year old range.
My VERY healthy niece had this vaccine, approximately a month later she was paralyzed on her right side, having seizures, and lesions on her brain. She is NOT the only person who has had these same side effects. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! I would NEVER allow my children to get this vaccine, and the fact they are pushing for it so much makes me wonder what they are REALLY trying to achieve.
Maria,
You can get the HPV vaccine from Planned Parenthood, even if you're over 26. I'm 36 and am currently getting vaccinated (I've done 2 of the 3 shots). The only difference is that you may have to pay the full cost out-of-pocket - in California it's $160 for each shot.
Did she eat carrots in that month? OR stand on one foot? Sorry but that doesn't prove that the vaccine caused it.
Coincidence is not causation. It is not licensed for older people because most of us already have been exposed to HPV and this is a vaccine. A vaccine to be useful must be used before the exposure happens.
I hope those who do contract these preventable cancers down the road because they did not have the vaccine at a young age do not end up hating their parents for giving them such bad advice that would one day end up killing them.
So it's the parent's fault they became sexually active and contracted an STD? In almost all cases, the blame would still fall on the child in my opinion. As parents, we are responsible for teaching our children consequences for their actions, just as we should if they were to get pregnant as a teen, contract HIV, or any other of the negative side effects of having sex with a questionable partner. Even later in life people need to take responsibility for their own actions and don't look to blame others for your mistakes. My wife and I have only ever had 1 partner. We don't have to worry about any of this, which is something we are definitely teaching our children as well.
Depends Nate. People get married and have sex. And yes sometimes their spouses were not virgins. To be honest since less that 10% of women when they marry are virgins you have no problem with the others getting cancer and dying. OK I guess we know what kind of a person you are.
So just because I am advocating personal responsibility and being dealing with the consequences of your actions, I am a cancer lover who wants people to die? That's like saying if you let you kids get a driver's license you want them to get in a car wreck and die because the statistics are way worse for that than getting HPV which leads to cervical cancer then death. What a poor argument on your part. Obviously you are very passionate about this subject and were touched personally by it. That does not change the fact that it is something my wife and I do not have to deal with. So good job on the personal attacks. What kind of person am I? I am one to teach my kids to act responsibly and don't put themselves in situations in which they can or will fail. I am who thinks it is still important to be faithful to one person and that sex is not just something to do solely for recreation, but an important part of the marriage bond. I am one who thinks that self control is important to who we are, not a hindrance. And I am one who things we should own up to our mistakes when we make them. I am proud of who I am and what I stand for. I was not commenting whatsoever on the vaccine or HPV, I was commenting on InFormed's comment of kids hating their parents for their choices. I don't know your mother-in-laws situation and I am sorry if she was raped which then led to her ultimate demise (but I would be surprised if that were the case). With the exception of rape, you choose who you have sex with and, in turn, choose if you are putting yourself at risk for HPV. It is that simple, and it is no one's fault but your own. One can't blame the world for ones lack of responsibility or due diligence before dropping ones pants.
I am a young adult who has chosen not to get the vaccine after watching a friend of mine have severe problems after the 3 Gardasil shots. She regularly has seizures and must have her seizure dog with her at all times. They didn't know if she would survive, let alone get to attend college, because of the medical problems she had (and still has) as a result of the vaccine. Thankfully she is currently a full-time student, but her life will never be the same. I understand that the every drug has it's share of pros and cons and that the positive impact that Gardasil has had in preventing HPV might far outweigh the small percentage of girls that do have huge medical issues now because of it, but I will take my chances after watching my friend suffer so immensely.
Thank you for speaking up, James and kulexx. Another reason I disagree with this specific line of vaccines is that it's basically telling the younger population that they can't control themselves. I was a teenager once. Really, it can be done.
I had strange symptoms show up after getting the first shot just before leaving for my junior year in college. I've never felt so bad in my life and never want to feel that way again. I had days where even after getting a full nights sleep I would wake up and be in a haze all day. On those days I also noticed I had stiff and sore joints. I had other symptoms too that I can't remember anymore as it has been 5+ years since it happened. I never completed the series of shots. Started to hear too many weird stories of girls having issues after getting the vaccination. I can't say for sure it was the vaccine, but it was enough to stop me from getting the rest of them.
Or maybe some parents think that we overvaccinate our kids like crazy. I let my teenager make her own choice. She didn't want it and that was fine with me.
That is SOME fantastic parenting. Let teenagers make their own decisions about their health!! Perhaps when your daughter opts not to wear her seatbelt and goes cascading through the windshield head first, you'll be able to say, "Yep...that's my kid...making her own life decisions!!"
Hey Laura, A) odds are it wont happen and B) sho0t your television please.
You do realize, that they have that right as soon as they turn 16 anyway, don't you? All they have to do is shoo you out of the room and tell the doctor what they want to have happen and the doctor isn't even allowed to tell you what the decision was.
They used to say smoking and taking cocaine was good for you too.
That's because its a vaccination against very minor STD. Most parents just didn't fall for the pharmaceutical scare tactics on this one.
Yeah...my stage four cervical cancer in lymph nodes was real minor...so were the three surgeries and three months of concurrent radiation and chemo. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.
A MINOR STD??? Are you crazy?
HPV often leads to cervical cancer, which is one of the biggest killers of women. Another few strains of HPV are responsible for a large percentage of Breast cancers. They have not yet made vaccines for those.. but you should be warned that any skin tags you see on your skin can lead to breast cancer... in both women AND men. Skin tags though , you can remove easily. Do so.
Cancer is a minor STD? You're joking right?
So, where's your degree in biology or medicine or pharmacology? Who the hell are you that we should listen to you about anything?
. Kills thousands of women every year. Some minor STD.
RaiSon, most sexually active people have some form of HPV, and we aren't all dropping dead from cancer. The body often gets rid of HPV on its own. Even if a person gets one of the high-risk strains, more often than not the person will not get cancer.
So, no, HPV does not "often lead to cervical cancer". It rarely does.
I am a strong supporter of most other kinds of vaccines, but you really need to look at the odds, consider side effects, and that it my wear off over time when considering this one.
A very good friend of mine has two daughters. They both had the shots, All of them. The one is fine, The other ended up with a very bad reaction that damn near li\\killed her. My daughter is now 18 and has not goten the shots. Waiting to see what happens as this thing shakes out.
One reason may be because the shots are so. freaking. expensive. I had them 5 years ago and I was fortunate in that my mother paid for them, but I remember seeing the bill and doing a double-take. I think it was a series of 2 or 3 shots that had to be done in a certain timeframe. And then I ended up with a "high risk" strain of the virus anyway a couple years later...
Why is CDC rushing to vaccinate young girls at 12, who are not sexually active, and who's parents know they are not sexually acitve and will not be sexually active till much later and won't need the vaccine till much later, or if not at all. I am such a parent and my daughter is such a child. Why take the risk as kulexx has so eloquently stated! My daughters own doctor discouraged her from getting the shot for those reasons and for the very reason that she knows my daughter and my family and knows that she will not become sexually active for quite some time and when she does then she will make the decision. Sorry, CDC – we're not drinking the coolaid so easily.
If you read the article you'd see they said they wanted to vaccinate girls before they became sexually active. Fortunately most 12-year-olds are not sexually active and therefore not at risk for HPV which means they can benefit from a vaccine. Once they become sexually active however many years in the future, they risk exposure to HPV and getting a vaccine then won't help. And take it from somebody who was a teenager not so long ago, most parents have absolutely no idea whether their children are sexually active or not. I could tell you all sorts of horror stories about what kids do behind their parents backs.
Elena – I DID read the article – I KNOW that – I UNDERSTAND that. I'm not an idiot. But 12 is too young – and I know also that there are girls this young that are sexually active. I also have a 29 and 26 year old daughter so I've been around the block a couple times already on this issue. My point is that the CDC and the physicians need to stop putting so much pressure and placing public guilt trips with articles like this on parents to have these girls immunized at such a young age and leave it up to each parent to decide what is best for their daughter. One size does not fit all. This is a new vaccine and it is not yet tried and true – there are a lot of problems with it still. I would not at all be surprised to see law suits against the maker of the vaccine and see it possibly pulled off the market. My child is not a guinea pig. The side effects that they advertise in their own brochure scare the living daylights out of me and I won't subject my daughter to that kind of risk. And then there will be those that will say that the alternative will be to subject her to horrible cancer. Really???? Where's your data. Show me the statistics and the assumption that you make on the type of life style that one must lead to support those statistics. How do you know that my daughter fits into that category?
Again, not drinking the coolaid and I'm not your sheaple.
Exactly.
Look CDC, quit coming out with news like this unless and until America gets Universal Health Care. It's all about the money. Most people can't afford the shots. That's why it is not getting done. We don't have preventive care here because we can't afford it; that's the bottom line.
So, what should the CDC do until that happens? Should they just sit around and let people die?
A significant proportion of the American public has the education level and scientific knowledge equal to the citizens of any third world nation you care to name. And they're probably proud of it.
Or maybe they are just proud that they don't have to jump every time Uncle Sam says to jump. People talk about "land of the free and home of the brave", but they don't really mean it apparently. Instead they want you to goose step right into the government ovens.
mmmm, I cannot bring myself to put my daughter through it, she has time when she is 18 to decide for herself and a few more years to determine how prevalent the side effects are. The unknowns are too great. I still have time to decide on this one. My son's physician was very pushy and really angered me to the point where I thought maybe he was getting a kick back, I really do feel the vaccination is too new.
Or, perhaps the doctor has seen what happens to people who get cancer. I had stage 3 anal cancer (which is often caused by HPV). The treatment was six weeks of radiation and chemo. I am not sure I could ever go thru that hell again.
Not only is one of the side effects of this vaccine death, but if you look at the numbers (number of infections, number that turn cancerous, number of cancers leading to death, etc...) there is almost an equal chance that your daughter will die from the vaccine as she would from a cervical cancer caused by HPV – these numbers are in the studies themselves, not made up and not percentages like "increase your chances by 60% (if your chance of contracting something is 1 in 1000, and increase chance of 100% takes it to 2 in 1000 – not quite as scary if you look at the numbers and not the percentages). Also, I have seen the vaccine marketed as a "Cancer Vaccine" which it is not!! Only a very small percentage of HPV cases become cancerous and the correlation between HPV and cervical cancer is tenuous at best – there is no causal relationship. This article smacks of pharmaceutical company advertising, trying to market something that has no real value...
"the correlation between HPV and cervical cancer is tenuous at best"
As someone who had pieces of my cervix removed due to precancerous cells that were caused by HPV I have to disagree with this statement. That's just blatantly false info.
Studies have shown that 100% of cervical cancers test positive for HPV. I'll say that again 100%. I think that is a pretty significant correlation. HPV 16 is one of the most carcinogenic and accounts for 55-60% of cervical cancers. HPV 18 is responsible for another 10-15%. This information comes from the American Cancer Society Screening Guidelines for the Prevention and Early Detection of Cervical Cancer, published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Does no one remember DES which was prescribed to pregnant women in the 40's, 50's and 60's? IIt was supposed to prevent miscarriages, 50 years later, they have discovered that DES daughters now have side effects which include higher risks of miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, preterm deliveries and increased risks of hormonal cancers.
Instead of injecting more hormones and drugs, how about increasing education, teaching responsibility and self respect for our youth?
For those you all up in arms about parents letting their kids get cancer instead of the shot – first, the shot does not prevent all HPVs; second, HPV does not cause cancer in all people who have the virus; and third, for females, yearly gynecological exams go a long way towards catching dysplasia before it turns into cervical cancer.
And my credentials to have an opinion in this at all?
I found out I had cervical cancer when I was pregnant with my second daughter. The doctor figured the PAP from the year before was either mis-read or they did not get a cell scraping that showed dysplasia. I was never tested for HPV because it really didn't matter at that point.
You really cut down on your chance of dying from cervical cancer if you see a gynecologist every year. They usually catch things when it is just dysplasia, which is easier to treat.
I have two teenage daughters and neither is getting the HPV shots. They know what happened to me, how it happened and they understand the importance of annual doctor visits.
It is a known risk while the shots appear to be an unknown risk.
It's a known risk that 50% of people will get hpv. A portion of them will get chronic infection which can proceed to cancer of the cervix, head and neck, and anus, or genital warts. It's known that the vaccination is effective on the most common cancer and wart causing types. The long term safety is proven in millions of women and now boys. Yes, it's a fact paps detect infection, and then one can easily snip away pieces of cervix, with hopes you can still carry a pregnancy. But you cannot snip away your anus, or head and neck so the whole "prefer paps, thanks" mindset has it's downside. These are the known facts. It is sad that people here anecdotes and assume the vaccine caused all these things. Millions of bad things happen on the first day of every month...does that mean the first day of the month caused it? Do people really think all the experts recommending vaccination are silly, unthoughtful or corrupt? I would consider myself irresponsible to not protect my kids from disease that can kill them. Choose for yourself. Google Michele Baldwin hpv to see how depending on paps worked out for her.
I got this when I was sixteen right after it came out. The biggest annoyance and reason people might not be completing it is that it's three doses spaced out over a long period of time. It's easy to forget about it in between doses. Of course I'm sure there are medical reasons that it's this way and it's not something that can be changed. Perhaps doctors should be a bit better at reminding patients when their next dose is due, my doctor never reminded me and the only reason I completed it was because my mother kept track of when my next dose was coming up.
Elena, the medical reason for the spacing of doses is: That is how your immune system works.. To make a long term protection, your white blood cells have to be stimulated to make the right antibodies against HPV. The first introduction shot has to be followed by the booster shots. You had to do the same thing for the MMR shots when you were a kid. There are a Few vaccines where full immunity happens from the first dose.
Protect Today – Live Tomorrow
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"Boys still not using shoes to stomp ants" What to do..................what to do...............
Parents who refuse to vaccinate their daughters for this are simply reluctant to admit that their little princesses are ever going to have sex. Get over it. Vaccinate them at 11 or 12. Goodness knows most kids nowadays are having sex by the time they are 13. Better safe than sorry.
Especially if they are the notoriously promiscuous kids of conservatives.
Not true. This vaccine is not worth the risk. A better course of action is to teach your kids about safe sex practices (which protect against more than just HPV) and make sure that girls get annual pap smears. Cervical cancer is actually pretty rare and is usually highly treatable if caught early - which is why pap smears are so important. Why introduce a vaccine that has had a fair number of adverse reactions when there are other, better options? Some of us have researched the vaccine (since it is new and hasn't been studied long term) and we see no benefit in taking the risk based on what we know at this time. I'm under no illusion that my child will wait for marriage (and since I, myself, didn't - I'd be rather hypocritical to expect that) and while I will certainly encourage her to wait until an age where I think she will be emotionally ready to handle intimacy, I will also make sure that she is armed with the knowledge to protect herself physically and let her know that she can come to me with any questions no matter what age she is when she makes that choice. Of course I want to prevent her from becoming sexually active too young. I'd be a bad parent if I didn't. But I'm not someone who sticks her head in the sand and thinks it can't happen. And I STILL think this vaccine is too risky.
Amazing that Americas remain so incredibly stupid and medically arrogrant. Science has CLEARLY SHOWN EMPERICAL evidence that infection with HPV significantly increases certain types of cancers. It's just plain stupidity!
Die Americans, die quickly.
Liberals are always wise and everyone else is stupid.
There is no actual evidence that the vaccine can prevent any cancer. From the manufacturers own admissions, the vaccine only works on 4 strains out of 40 for a specific venereal disease that dies on its own in a relatively short period, so the chance of it actually helping an individual is about about the same as the chance of him being struck by a meteorite. – See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/gardasil-and-cervarix-dont-work-are-dangerous-and-werent-tested_072013#sthash.Padb85W8.dpuf
FYI, I'm 42 and have never had this vaccine. I have never had cervical cancer. My daughters have never had this vaccine. They are 23 and 21. They have never had cervical cancer. My mother had cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy at the age of 35. I think that it's random and rare and that everyone seems to think that it's a black or white situation when in fact there are a billion shades of grey in this. My firm belief is that modern medicine stopped being about how to cure and how to help and started being about how to find new ways to create illnesses and make money from the treatments. Just because someone ends up with cervical cancer doesn't mean that the vaccine would have prevented it. But it seems that preventing taking the vaccine would have saved a lot of grief for 15,037 girls who have reported adverse side effects from Gardasil alone to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (V.A.E.R.S.). It also would have saved the known 44 girls from dying because of this vaccine. Taking a vaccine won't necessarily prevent the illness no matter how much you believe it will. Just my two cents.
Yeah you may never get sick but what if. I mean why buy an umbrella? Why have auto insurance? Why buy home insurance? I would rather get vaccinated than roll the dice and have it come up snake eyes.
There have been no deaths due to gardisil: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccines/HPV/jama.html
There were deaths that occurred aound the time of a vaccination, but they were due to other causes.
This vaccine reduces your risk of cancer by protecting you from the most common viral serotypes, so yes you should still get preventive screenings, but you will reduce both the risk of cancer and the need for invasive testing and biopsies if you prevent HPV infection in the first place.
none of you have ever heard of the old expression 'Rather be safe than sorry"? I thought it was a parents duty to protect their kids and not put them in harms way.
that was my theory when I got the flu shot that almost killed me. The only thing I am sorry about now is I cannot undo the damage the flu shot did to my body.
GET THE SHOT.... I got it years ago, and I'm glad I did. Rather the risk the chance of HPV or cancer, all women should get this so they are protected. Don't be stupid teens. It's a shot, get the afternoon off of school and go get your shot, win win situation kiddos.
"citing a lack of sexual activity"
We've got news for you silly parents.
No, MOST children are NOT having sex at 13. The ones that are having sex have parents who don't give a damn about where their kids are and certainly don't care if they are vaccinated or not. (Let's not even mention birth control!) Good parents know where their 13 years olds are, and they are NEVER alone with boys in a place they will be unobserved. Mine wasn't. No one knows what long term side effects this vaccine might have. Will it affect my child's fertility? Give my child a risky vaccine that MIGHT kill her? To prevent a disease that she MIGHT be exposed to, to prevent a cancer that MIGHT occur as a result? No, thank you, if she wants it later in life she can get it herself.
I I had HPV...I was offered the shot when I went to get my college shots and refused it. I thought for sure I wouldn't have sex until marriage. That lasted until I was 21. The first person I had sex with was someone I knew for 2 yrs before we even thought of each other as more than that. We were really good friends. We hung out as friends every weekend for two years. He had no idea he was carrying HPV. There is no way for guys to be tested for it. About a year after we had sex, I found out I had HPV. My body fought it off, but there is no guarantee that it won't come back and cause cancer. Please Please, I urge you, to get your young ones the vaccine now! NO matter what you think will happen in their future. Parents know a lot less about their children's sexual lives than they think. I am best friends with my Mom. She never knew that I had sex until I had to tell her that I had HPV. I was 22. Think about their future. My biopsy and doctors visit were $900. Don't put yourself through that.
Majority of the people carry HPV. If you already fought it off, it's not in your system. You of course can catch it again, which is why people get papsmear done on a yearly basis. Once you know you have it, you need to make sure you don't reinfect your partner who will reinfect you. Give it a few months for both you and your partner to fight it off and you'll be fine.
Here's how this is going to go: those who don't vaccinate their children are going to feel like suicide when their children do come down with cancer and go through the agony of treatment and perhaps death over something that could have been prevented. The irrational fear of ignorant parents will prevent their genes from propagating throughout the species. That will be a good thing.
No. They will simply say that the vaccine wouldn't have helped, etc. Denial isn't defeated by simple facts.
I think the vaccine is wonderful but I worry about something the CDC didn't mention–The Cost. When it first came out, each shot of the HPV vaccine was $150 not including labor costs (time a nurse has to take and prep the vaccine–health departments, clinics, and hospitals all add in cost of labor, whether you agree with it or not), so the cost for the entire series was $500-$600 without health insurance. In five years, I'm betting it has gone up. And the states and Feds have cut the programs for free vaccine for lower income kids severely, so we used to run out of funds on a regular basis to purchase vaccines.
Vaccines are great and essential to the health of both children and adults, but how about we pass a law that vaccines should not be a profit maker for companies? They can go ahead making untold billions on antibiotics and pills, since that will never change in the U.S., but how about asking companies for a little leeway on something that is low-cost to make and saves tens of lives n the U.S. annually? I'm not asking the pharmaceutical companies to lose money, just to break even and lower the overall cost of something so essential to the patient and particularly children.
By the way, I have never taken money from a pharmaceutical company and will never do so. I believe medical and public health professionals should avoid any conflict of interest by refusing to take money from any drug company for a lecture or a study. And yes, I would love to sit down with any parent or child with concerns about any vaccine to help me to understand their point and to review evidence from peer-reviewed journals with them anytime. I know there are drawbacks, including the costs and sheer amount of shots any child must have to complete all recommended series. Helping to educate and understand point by point is important for anybody.
All I see are tons of comments telling others what to do. As adults and parents, we need to thoroughly research and then evaluate what is best for our family and our values. There are always pros and cons to every issue and only we can decide what is best.
Mari,
I agree. Just make sure you are getting your info from a trusted source, and not anecdotal stories. Look at the entire issue as a whole. And don't be afraid to read the actual journal articles, not just someone's interpretation of it.
Unfortunately it's glaringly obvious that most people don't have the intellect to weigh the pros and cons and decide what is best for themselves, their family, or indeed the world.
This.
Bart,
I am pro-vaccine. I have received just about all my vaccines on time and make sure I get my boosters as needed. I know exactly when my next tetanus and pertussis booster is due and I will make sure I get it. The exceptions are the annual flu shot as I've had family members get very sick after having them and the HPV vaccine. When my doctor brought up getting it at my annual check-up just before starting my 3rd year of college I said yes, of course I want it. I never completed the series. I have no clue where I would be today if I had, but the issues I had following the first were awful. I can't say for certain that they were caused by the vaccine and weren't the result of some weird virus, but they went along with other stories that started surfacing about that time of others having reactions after receiving the vaccine. I'm an educated person who is all for preventative medicine, and as demonstrated by the fact that I let them inject the first dose into my body I am not against vaccines. I just don't like this one and I can't blame others for not liking it either. I truly believe that if I had continued on with the other two shots my health would be suffering from it today. I was very pleased when I moved and had to switch doctors that my gynecologist respected my views and didn't try to talk me out of them. Some people may be fine after getting the vaccine so to them it is worth it, but I wasn't. Those of us that don't like the vaccine don't deserve to get lumped in with other people that are against ALL vaccines. A lot of us aren't against vaccines- just this one.
"Nearly 26,200 HPV-related cancers occur in the United States" Survival rate is 98.5% of that number. And this is out of 330,000,000 Americans....I think I'll take my chances rather then injecting myself or my family with god knows what.
Your chances of dying from the flu are generally pretty slim also, but no one likes coming down with the flu. Same goes times ten for cancer.
my doctor pestered me about getting the vaccine the first time i ever saw her – in 2006, when i was 13. i was not interested, but told her i would think about it. every single doctor's visit i have had since – and five totally normal pap smears later – she has pestered me about getting the vaccine. frankly, i can't wait to get past 26 so that she [and everyone else] stops bothering me about it. if you are not in a stable relationship, or are involved in sex work, then maybe the vaccine is more appropriate for you. but i have had one partner and do not plan to have any more, so i see zero need to put myself at risk of seizures, paralysis, and other negative side effects to MAYBE prevent one type of cancer.
yearly papsmear + HPV test is still necessary though.
You know why, it's because
1) HPV is very preventable
2) HPV can clear on its own.
3) Most people don't know about HPV until this vaccine is introduced, so they weren't preventing it.
4) There has been a good number of death associated with the vaccine.
So what one needs to do is, first be careful, 2nd if you caught it, well let your body heal! Third, well there is no third. It's that simple.
And how many have died? A "good number"? Do you actually have a number? And what is your evidence for any of this? Yes, there are over 200 strains of HPV, and most can be cleared, but HPV strain #s 16 and 18 are extremely hard to clear for anyone, two of the 4 strains that are covered in the vaccine. How many people do you know that have died from a supposedly rare disease? Just guessing, probably a least one or a few. If not, you are very lucky and fortunate, and that's a great thing. I have lost too many from diseases that they thought were impossible to get. Non-smokers who died from lung cancer, for example, never having smoked a cigarette in life. It happens in 10-15% of lung cancer cases. So play the odds, you'll probably win, but someone else will get cervical cancer who lost their gamble, evn with good odds.
what did I base any of this? The first two I learnt from my family doctor. The third is my personal experience. The forth is from reading cnn and other news articles.
Yes, I addressed your first two points in my first reply, but to add some real figures: HPV 16 and 18, the two most dangerous strains for cervical cancer, have a prevalence of 3.4% in women. Yes, that's small, but 3.4% of the entire U.S. population is still 4 million women. I wouldn't call 4 million women a small number. As for the point about how we never head of it, now we all of a sudden have a vaccine, this is all research within the last 25 years. The HPV virus is so tiny, even for a virus, that we couldn't even find it until 20 years ago. We knew something or somethings caused cervical cancer, but the technology was too limited to find it. In fact, once we found the virus, it was so closely tied to cervical cancer on many levels ( see what's called criteria for causality, how we figure out something is causal and not just correlated–there are nine criteria, look for Hill's criteria for causality on the Internet and why it is such a good measure), that it was pretty amazing that one thing only was the cause, as many cancers are caused by multiple factors. your physician is right, but that's part of a larger story I just typed. As to your fourth point about reading it on CNN, here's what I found searching on the CNN website:
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/01/study-finds-hpv-vaccine-is-safe/?iref=allsearch
Where's your link?
Another link to an excellent study: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11013831
Feel free to read science research papers and interpret them yourself. I can also recommend many more. If it weren't safe, iI would not argue with you. I do find it disgusting that pharmaceutical companies are making money off of a simple vaccine that saves lives, but it disgusts me more to watch while 3,000 women die a year without the vaccine and a timely Pap smear. Using both, I'm sure we could prevent 98% of cervical cancer deaths.
This vaccine hasn't been PROVEN yet. Also there have been some serious side effects related to the vaccine.
I'm sorry but UNTIL some time goes by I will NOT be giving my young daughter this vaccine. Then again I got a few years to wait until she is a teen and a ton of human lab rats that will have a good 10 year study prior to my daughter hitting the so called "sexually active" age.
II hope she is a a good girl and does not have sex until married in the eyes of the Lord like that Palin girl.
When the gynecologist has to freeze off cysts from your cervix, perhaps your regret will make you consider getting the vaccine but it will be too late.
If you actually ever knew anyone with cervical cancer you would get these shots if it reduced your risk by 5%. Every teenaged girl in my and my husband's extended family have had the shot with no side effects. That is because my mother in law died of cervical cancer 3 years ago and before she died a long and lingering and nasty death she made every person promise they would get the shot. She had 1 partner, her husband of 14 years, She divorced him when she found out his infidelity but it was too late. Unless you can make sure your daughter doesn't have sex except with her husband and that he is a virgin and is never unfaithful and unless you are sure your daughter can never be raped, and that she will never be unfaithful you are putting her at risk.
It could also be a distrust from a vaccine the government wants all of them to have. I stopped flue shots over 10 years ago because I just don't trust what they are giving us.
The HPV warts can and do exist primarily outside of the area the condom protects, so this is why HPV is the most common STI.
I hate that they're treating this like it's a public health emergency in hopes of producing panic in less informed parents and getting them to comply. We are not suddenly dealing with an epidemic of HPV here. It's been with us for a very long time.
The potential side-effects are frightening and far too common. While they can argue that the risks of getting some diseases (like Measles–I suppose) far out-weight the chances of side-effects, they simply can't this time around. There's no question about where it's originating this time. Healthy teenage girls don't suddenly start having seizures, paralysis, and fainting spells right after receiving vaccines.
I was around and paying attention when this vaccine came out in 2006 and I paid attention to the media reports. Vaccine sites that are encouraging people who get vaccine state the side effects (they call them "rare") include:
Headaches
Gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, usually involving vomiting or diarrhea
Appendicitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the appendix
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is an infection or inflammation in the pelvic area that can lead to infertility and other problems
Asthma or bronchospasms (airway spasms)
Blood clots in the legs or lungs
Seizures
Guillain-Barré syndrome.
It is understandable that most people would prefer to talk to their daughters about responsible, protected sex and encourage them to get regular PAP Smears rather than run risk of dealing with any of the issues on this list.
You forgot about death... as a side effect. Too many have occurred from this vaccine.
Pap tests do nothing to protect you from HPV. If and it is a big if, The doctor takes the sample of cells from the right spot on the cervix it is possible to find cervical cancer early when it is more likely to be cured. My mother in law, who was a doctor had a pa test every 6 months for her entire life. Died of cervical cancer. She made everyone promise to vaccinate every girl in the family. All have been vaccinated with no side effects. 13 girls. Now lets see a child could get a headache or she could die of cancer, now what would be worse?
@ Angela, Pap tests aid in detecting cancer, not preventing it. Who told you that pap tests prevent cancer?
Alice, can you link me to your source of information? And if you say the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting Service (VAERS), they investigate all deaths and illnesses that people report after getting a vaccine to make sure the vaccine did not cause the side effect–just because something occurs after a vaccine doesn't means the vaccine caused the health issue. The people from VAERS investigate all deaths and serious illnesses that occur and are reported by anyone, from parents to nurses to physicians. They look for any potential causal link, as they are an independent board and are 100% concerned with safety. It's what they have sworn to do for every vaccine, to protect everybody from any dangerous side effects, pharmaceutical products be darned. They have found no link between any deaths reported (over 50 now) and the HPV vaccine. Again, give me a link and prove me wrong.
I had a TB skin test today as part of my graduate school requirements. If I get a cold tomorrow, I'm sure it wasn't part of my TB test, but rather from someone I was in line behind while grocery shopping tonight. Look up Hill's criteria for causality for more info on how determine whether two events are incidental or causally related.
The Lord protects children from cancer no vaccines needed, oh wait sometimes the Lord gives kids cancer oh wait no that is someone else.
when the evil lord wants to kill you he will kill you with a vaccine or with a disease or train, car, plane, sinkhole, one of his murderers he made or some other evil way.
Stop saying god is evil just because he kills and causes horrible things and kills some more does not make him evil.
Just be like that Paylin girl and don't have human functions until you are married, oh wait she did not wait either, nevermind proceed with being human vaccine or not.
We just tell our daughter that good republican girls do not have sex and babies are brought by Storks and Jesus loves all good republitardated girls.
"Cause liberal girls are so virtuous.
God works in mysterious ways and if he wants my kid to get cervical cancer then she will get it vaccine or not.
I have read some of the responses, not all. This whole article and subsequent responses makes me laugh because I think the pharmaceutical company who makes this vaccine must be down in profits, therefore, conducted this study/report to scare everyone and to cause an uproar. They succeeded. Who funded this study/report by the way?? Now, many of you who are criticizing those who have declared that they are not allowing their kids to get this vaccine need to take a step back. You all are acting like they are refusing the smallpox vaccine or MMR. This is not a public health issue. This is a do you want your kid to potentially be at risk for developing cervical cancer or other type of cancer issue. Last time I checked, cancer is not contagious. HPV is, but not like the common cold, flu, measles, and chicken pox. Your kid is not going to get HPV from someone if they sit next to someone in a class or elsewhere, then that contaminated person sneezes or coughs, then BAM they develop HPV. It's not the same thing. It doesn't work that way. So, get off your high horse and let people make these decisions for themselves based on what they feel is right for THEIR family. If Jane Doe decides to not get the HPV vaccine, gets drunk one night, has sex with someone who has it, then gets it herself... TOO BAD. That's her problem. Let folks make decisions for themselves. This is like having seatbelt laws, which I think are ridiculous. If some dumba** gets in a car, gets in an accident, and then sustains an injury that could have been prevented by wearing a seatbelt, then that person needs to deal with the consequences of his or her decision. Same goes for the HPV/cervical cancer connection. Put yourself at risk, deal with the consequences.
You wonder a bunch don't you Alice. If I had to guess I'd say you have them warts and you hate girls who don't have them so you make up stuff to keep them from being protected so they can become all wart infested like you.
If cervical and other cancers are caused by HPV, an infectious virus, that means they are contagious in the same sense as HPV warts are. It's interesting you think that cancer is not a public health concern, and that sexual contact is not part of the average young adult's lifestyle as much as sitting in class is. Would you argue that HIV is not a public health concern because it cannot be spread by a sneeze?
Why should cancer be considered a public health issue? It's not contagious. It doesn't rank in the same category as smallpox or H1N1. It's different. It's a health issue because it kills, but it's not spread person to person.
My daughter is one of those girls who only received one of the recommended doses. She had never had a reaction to a vaccination before, but the HPV vaccine caused many side effects. I was concerned because she described some unusual symptoms she had never experienced previously, and she did not eat well for days after the shot. I read about the potential side effects, and after her poor outcome following the first shot, I decided not to proceed with the next two shots. I had read that some girls who had side effects after the first shot ended up having long term health problems when they proceeded with the shot schedule. I'm not sure what I will do with my younger children. I am quite pro-vaccination, but this one does make me nervous.
My daughter also had side effects from Gardasil, but I listened to her dr.s when they told me that there was no connection between her symptoms and the vaccine. After the third vaccine she was so symptomatic that I became frightened she was going to die. She was covered in hives, limping with joint pain, and vomiting. Her hands and feet had dark wheals on them. Large areas of her body were swollen. We should have stopped at the first one. I will regret it the rest of my life.
I hate it when me and a hot chick are getting ready to sin in geebus name and I see warts and have to run like a muva
Just wait till Obama hears about this.... he'll try to make it mandatory that they get vaccinated.
You sound wart infested Barb?
No one knows when they will become sexually active, there is a thing called rape. Can happen to any female. You have to have the vaccination BEFORE you become exposed to the virus. If you have been exposed it is basically ineffective.
If it's a vaccine, why isn't is given to boys?
It can be- it protects against HPV-related anal and throat cancers as well. But those aren't as common as cervical cancer, and boys don't have cervixes.