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
The ACSH’s first argument in favor of the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines, claiming that the vaccines are safe, is misleading. “Safe” is a relative term. There is no such thing as a risk-free vaccine. The real question is: “Are the risks associated with the HPV vaccine worth the benefits?” For women, like those in developing countries, who don’t have access to regular Pap tests, the HPV vaccine is a wise choice despite the risks of vaccination. But, for any woman who can have an HPV test every one or two years, the chances of dying of an HPV related disease is as close to 0% as medically possible. Under those circumstances, there is no reason to take the risks associated with vaccination, even if those risks are low.
Simply put – In an environment where a woman can and does receive regular Pap testing all her adult life, the HPV vaccine is more likely to kill or seriously injure her than an HPV related cancer.
For more on the risk of dying of HPV related cancers, see my Argument 2.
For more on the risk of HPV vaccine related complications, see my Argument 6.
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