Those with daughter: HPV Vaccination

There has not yet been any evidence that the vaccine ISN'T safe and/or effective.

And yet, there hasn't been enough time or evidence to prove that it IS safe and/or effective in the long run. They openly admit that it's only partially effective for *some* of the strains.

People have died after receiving it, but they had co-morbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. For the average healthy individual, the risk of HPV and possible cervical cancer is much, much higher than the risk of possible serious side effects.

Not true, check your stats again (make sure to check the unbiased ones as well...not just the ones fed to you by the government).

The rigorous testing the FDA does before approving a vaccine wouldn't allow a seriously dangerous vaccine loose on our children. I'm a nurse, and I have faith in the FDA to help protect my children.

I'd expect more from a nurse. All their "rigorous" testing amounts to practically nothing until it is administered to the population. Look back at the history of recalls on rigorously tested vaccines, and they still have no data on the long term effects across a large population. I personally don't have faith in them. Doctors have done some amazing things, with some incredible f*ckups along the way. As they learn more, they are constantly changing their recommendations/procedures to better reflect their new information. Some would say that's great, but to me, that proves they didn't know what they were doing in the first place. If they were so all knowing, maybe they should just cure the cancer.

And yes, I do think parents who choose not to vaccinate (especially the vaccines that have been around for decades, like pertussis, polio, etc) are irresponsible.

There are very few vaccines that have been around for "decades" (in their original formula). Do you really think that the vaccine you get for pertussis or polio is the one that they gave out from the beginning? No, they've added preservatives, modified and tweaked it (thereby nullifying any data collected in regards to long term affects of the vaccine). I would consider it irresponsible to allow the government to make my children their science experiment.

Not only are they putting THEIR children at risk, they're also putting other children at risk who are too young to receive the vaccine or who haven't completed the series.

That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it (even if I disagree with you). As I said before, I'd expect all parents to take in the information that is available to them, review it, and make an informed decision for themselves what is best for them and their children (that's being responsible, no matter which way you choose). Don't let the government or others who may benefit from the decision bully you into doing something you don't believe in. Far too many people fall into the herd mentality; don't be a lemming.

I have a colleague who recently experienced a needle stick incident with a patient who has hepatitis B. The colleague is 8 months pregnant. She received the hep B vaccine in nursing school. I think it was responsible of her to get it, based on the nature of our job, and look how much more stress and anxiety she'd be dealing with if she wasn't immune to the virus.

I'm glad she is ok, and that she wasn't overly stressed/anxious, but I feel that the vaccine gave her a false sense of security. If I were in that line of work, I might be willing to take the risk of getting all the vaccinations as well (luckily I'm not, and consider the risks of the vaccine more costly than the chance of me getting hep .

And yes, I know advances in plumbing, etc. contributed, but I know someone who's barely in her 50s who had a severe case of polio when she was a child and has suffered from mobility issues her entire life since. I'm thinking 40-50 years ago, we had sewer systems, etc., so the polio vaccine would have been the most beneficial prevention for her.

That's terrible, I'm sorry that anyone would have to go through that. Getting the vaccine wouldn't necessarily have guaranteed her safety though either. I didn't say that advances in waste management, water purification, etc deserves all the credit, I simply said that many people forget that there were other factors at play with eradicating these diseases.

Nope. I was diagnosed with a high-risk strain of HPV in 2003, too. I have to get paps and colposcopies all the time (although my HPV tests come back as negative now). My doc suggested I get the vaccine and when I got the first shot, I passed out and had a tennis ball size welt on my arm for more than three months. I have tingling/numb feelings in my left arm now, and I still have pain in the injection site. I never got the second or third shots, either.

I'll teach my daughter how to have safe sex so that she may protect herself. The reaction I had (and still have) was absolutely awful.

The only was your daughter can be sure she won't get HPV will be no sex at all.....Condoms do not offer any protection at all.....I know because when I was told that I had cervical cancer caused by HPV, I did my research......

As a healthcare provider who has worked in womens health and oncology (including watching a 16 year old die of cervical cancer) I absolutely will be getting my daughter the vaccine.

No, I have daughters and I say no to this vaccination. Who the hell knows what it might do in 10-15 years. There is just not a track record yet. TALK to your daughter so she is comfortable coming to you for anything and above all teach safe sex even if you are totally uncomfortable.

i don't have any kids, but i did get the vaccination. it's true that there are no real long term studies yet (or i have just missed them in my googling) but i find that the benefits (for me) outweighed the consequences. i had no ill side effects save from pain and redness at the injection site and that went away within a day.

"Nope. I was diagnosed with a high-risk strain of HPV in 2003, too. I have to get paps and colposcopies all the time (although my HPV tests come back as negative now). My doc suggested I get the vaccine and when I got the first shot, I passed out and had a tennis ball size welt on my arm for more than three months. I have tingling/numb feelings in my left arm now, and I still have pain in the injection site. I never got the second or third shots, either.

I'll teach my daughter how to have safe sex so that she may protect herself. The reaction I had (and still have) was absolutely awful. "

I'm pretty sure the vaccine can't help guard you against something you already have....

Condoms my NOT fully protect against HPV.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm

It doesn't protect against many of the strains of HPV.

I was starting college when the vac was really popular, I opted out, I did my research and I didn't like what I read.

It does not protect against all strains of HPV, true. But it does protect against the 2 strains KNOWN to be the most likely causes of cervical cancer (plus Gardisil protects against the 2 strains known to cause genital warts). Most of the other strains are not known to cause any serious long-term adverse effects.

No, I have daughters and I say no to this vaccination. Who the hell knows what it might do in 10-15 years. There is just not a track record yet. TALK to your daughter so she is comfortable coming to you for anything and above all teach safe sex even if you are totally uncomfortable.

Safe sex will not help your daughter at all. If she is still a virgen and marry a man with HPV, chances are that she will get the virus. Condoms don't work, and eventually she will not have "safe sex" with her husband if they want to have children.

Meanwhile, we've basically eradicated polio, smallpox, and other similar diseases in America by vaccinating against them. I'm grateful to my parents for being responsible enough to get me vaccinated as per the CDC's recommended schedule. I'm following their schedule for my two daughters as well. And when the time comes for them to get the HPV vaccine, as long as it's still proven safe and effective, they'll be receiving it.

While vaccinating often gets all the credit for eradicating many diseases, people often forget all the advances in plumbing/water purification, waste management, hygiene products, etc, and the role they have played.

Your parents did what they believed was the right thing to do, and that's all that can be expected of parents. What bothers me about your statement is claiming that they were "responsible enough" to get you vaccinated; implying that those who didn't get their children vaccinated are being irresponsible. Just because people don't agree with your belief, does not make them irresponsible.

By "...as long as it's still proven safe and effective...", did you mean, "*IF* it has been proven safe and effective, they's be receiving it."?

I'm not involved in this particular debate but I'm reposting it because I want to back the original poster - not getting vaccines is dumb. Having your child get an illness, and get very ill, from a disease that is preventable with a vaccine (Hep A, Hep B, Hib, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella) is stupidity.

"Stupidity", in my mind, is letting people experiment on myself or my children. If I believed that their was a safe (and effective) vaccine to prevent a disease, where the long/short term affects/risks were known (actually KNOWN) and I had confidence in those that had created the vaccine, then I would obviously protect myself and my children.

As far as I'm concerned though, most vaccines are statistically ineffective, have little/no long term data on their impact on the human body, run the risk of causing an immediate negative response (sometimes deadly) and appear to be driven by large companies interested in making money as quickly as possible...but that's just my opinion.

I didn't get it because my mother is a nurse and one of her co-worker's had a daughter who had a serious reaction to the vaccine. The army wanted to give it to me and thought I was crazy when I didn't want it... I'm waiting for more studies.

It would be one thing if I had any risk factors or if the cancer runs in my family but it doesn't... so for now, I'm good without it.

No, I have daughters and I say no to this vaccination. Who the hell knows what it might do in 10-15 years. There is just not a track record yet. TALK to your daughter so she is comfortable coming to you for anything and above all teach safe sex even if you are totally uncomfortable.

Safe sex will not help your daughter at all. If she is still a virgen and marry a man with HPV, chances are that she will get the virus. Condoms don't work, and eventually she will not have "safe sex" with her husband if they want to have children.

thank you

yes, thank you!

While I may change my mind when she is older, I am not inclined to vaccinate my daughter (currently age 4) against HPV. This is partially influenced by the fact that we have access to healthcare and I anticipate her having regular pap smears and papsure tests. It is also partially influenced by the fact that I resist vaccines in general due to having my eldest child develop asperger-like characteristics after receiving vaccinations according to state-mandated schedules as an infant, before I was educated as to potential negative consequences of vaccines on young children and in particular, the deadly effects of thimerosol. Although the HPV vaccine does not contain thimerosol, it is also true that after having contracted HPV, it is possible for the immune system to clear the virus. This in fact was the case with me. I tested positive for HPV while pregnant with my eldest son, and one time after his birth. Subsequent testing has been clear for over 12 years.

I believe it is best not to vaccinate children under the age of 2. I believe it is best to avoid vaccines that contain thimerosol (mercury) -- a known deadly poison -- this includes flu shots and chicken pox (varicella) vaccine.

Interesting info regarding HPV and the vaccine:

"But the cost of the vaccine is perhaps its most controversial feature. The three shot series costs $360, which makes it the most expensive on the market, and there is no proof that booster shots will not be needed in the future. Cervical cancer disproportionately affects low-income and minority women, so in order to effectively reduce the disease burden, the vaccine would have to be heavily subsidized so those most at risk could afford it.

Cervical cancer is a terrible disease, yet the U.S. has largely been able to control it through regular screening and pap smears. The disproportionate effects of the cancer are largely due to inequalities in healthcare access; half of all women with cervical cancer have never had a pap smear. Improving access to inexpensive screening measures could greatly reduce the disease burden for far less cost than the vaccine.

There are also valid concerns about the effects of subsidizing the cost of the vaccine on strained public health resources, particularly the worry that this could drain funding for more needed vaccinations. States should not be so quick to mandate the vaccine without first trying to negotiate lower prices with Merck or waiting for a competitor vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, expected to be approved soon, to enter the market and drive down prices."



http://www.know-vaccines.org/

The truth is that the small group of people who have the adverse effects do suffer tremendously. You have to keep in mind though that that group is statistically insignificant given that it is much less than 1% of the total number vaccinated. Like I said earlier, the link between those who experience the severe adverse effects will be discovered and then patients will be able to be tested for risk before receiving the vaccination.

Everything that doesn't affect me is statistically insignificant. It may take a while to discover the link. Chances are if you are a parent of one of those kids with an adverse reaction, you'll probably refuse further studies on your child.

YES!!!! Why take the chance when you can be protected! I got the gardisil (or however you spell it) shots when I was 23, and they did hurt. However, I also heard that the younger they get them...the less painful they are.

I don't think it would hurt to get them...and they can only help!

I believe it is best not to vaccinate children under the age of 2. I believe it is best to avoid vaccines that contain thimerosol (mercury) -- a known deadly poison -- this includes flu shots and chicken pox (varicella) vaccine.

The majority of vaccines do not contain thimerosal anymore - they haven't for about ten years. http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm As you can see from that link, some flu shots do contain trace amounts of thimerosal, but you could always ask for another brand without thimersol, like Flumist.

Your odds of injury are greater from getting the disease than getting the vaccine for it. Just saying. I know I am not going to change your mind, and you are definitely not going to change mine, but I hope you really think about it, and realize what you are doing to yourself and your children.

Out of curiosity; which odds are you referring to? The reason I came to this decision is because *I did* really think about it. I'm sure that if more people thought about it logically, looked into the data (including the odds of contracting one of the strains the vaccine is fairly effective against...not one of the many others) and considered all the unknowns, there would be far fewer people getting the vaccination.

I was talking about other vaccines more so than just the HPV vaccine when I said the odds of injury are greater from the actual illness than the vaccine. I've read it before, and unfortunately I can't tell you where I read it - it was a few years ago.
I can understand where people come from in not liking the HPV because it is a new vaccine, but there is no reason, in my opinion, to avoid traditional vaccines. I also still think that people should get HPV, but if you're waiting for more information, I can respect that. I can also tell you it is perfectly safe. There's a good link that talks about the adverse conditions associated with Gardasil and Cervarix http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html

This is a good link that kind of sums up what I think about vaccines in general: http://www.aap.org/immunization/families/VaccineSafety_parenthandout.pdf
http://www.aap.org/immunization/families/VaccineSafety1pagerEnglish.pdf