If you have a young daughter, you would do anything to ensure her safety. The FDA has already approved one HPV vaccine, Gardasil, believing that the vaccine could potentially save young women’s lives by preventing cervical cancer. However, some parents have hesitated to give their daughters the vaccine, questioning its safety and effectiveness. Can the HPV vaccine really save lives, or does it pose a high dosage risk?
Founder, Center for Ethical Solutions
There are potential unknown hazards to worry about. Gardasil protects against the most common but also the least dangerous forms of cancer-causing human papillomavirus. What if the HPV vaccine creates an environment in which more virulent forms of HPV, against which the vaccine provides no protection, thrive? There is no scientific evidence to support such a claim, but antibiotic resistant “superbugs” provide a case in point.
Finally, Gardasil was primarily tested on adult women, making it possible that there are unknown risks associated with vaccinating younger girls. The possibility isn't as far-fetched as one might think. In 1976, the swine flu vaccine was administered on a large scale, arguably without sufficient testing. The vaccine administered by government mandate seriously injured or killed hundreds. It turned out that the vaccine had a 5 percent fatality rate and a 10 percent rate of permanent paralysis. Yet, among the millions of people who were never vaccinated, there was only one death that could be definitively traced to the flu itself.
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