Human papilloma virus, or HPV, is a known risk factor for certain types of cancer. It is even believed to cause vulvar, vaginal, and cervical cancer in women. Men aren’t immune to HPV either as it can cause penile cancer as well. Men and women may also suffer from other types of cancer equally because of this virus. More than 79 million Americans are already infected by it. 14 million people will become newly infected in the next 12 months. For girls, at least, there is a possible solution: Gardasil.
Statistics About Gardasil
1. Between June 2006 and March 2014, more than 67 million doses of the HPV were distributed to patients.
2. The number of adverse reactions that were reported after the vaccine was administered: 25,000.
3. Out of the number of reaction reports that were generated, only 8% of them were considered to be serious side effects.
4. The most common side effects listed as serious after Gardasil was administered: headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, and generalized weakness.
5. All of the side effects were listed as being consistent to the reports that were generated by the clinical trials of the vaccine.
6. In comparison, there are 27,000 new cancers that are directly attributed to HPV that are diagnosed in the United States every year.
7. In a 2011 study, more than 600,000 doses of Gardasil were tracked by the CDC. Only 1 case of anaphylactic shock was recorded out of those 600k doses.
8. One of the most common side effects of all vaccines is fainting, which may be more due to anxiety in getting the vaccine more than anything else.
9. Gardasil protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 – and also some genital warts.
10. Gardasil is even recommended for boys and men, 9 through 26 year-old to protect against some genital warts.
11. The primary reason why Gardasil is not wanted is because it is viewed as a vaccination against a sexually transmitted disease.
12. In comparison, there have been 60,000 reports of death from the MMR vaccine.
13. There have been 106 reported deaths as of 2012 after Gardasil vaccination.
14. For patients who have a risk factor for blood clotting, Gardasil has the potential to increase those risk factors.
Explanation of Gardasil
Gardasil is one of the two HPV vaccines that have been approved for use. They are designed to help protect against the different types of HPV infection that occur which cause the most common cases of cervical cancers. Gardasil is given as a 3 shot series and is usually given to girls just before they are about to hit their teen years, but it is approved to be given to women as old as 26. Because HPV is thought to be the cause of up to 70% of known cervical cancers, the benefits outweigh any risks that might be involved.
Some women avoid Gardasil because of what the CDC and the FDA reported regarding the clinical trials of the vaccine. In 2009, after gathering together all of the serious reports from Gardasil, it was reported that 32 women who had received Gardasil had died. It was also reported that there was no common pattern to the deaths, making it unlikely that the vaccine was part of the issue. There has been recent recalls of the vaccine, however, so it is always important to check with your doctor about the viability of the vaccine that is on hand.
Any medical procedure brings with it a certain level of risk. Being alive brings about a certain level of risk. You can die because you walk out to get the mail because you missed seeing the car coming down the road at a high rate of speed. Every measure is taken to prevent women who take Gardasil from dying because of the vaccine. The statistics prove it.
Treatment Options
The reason why doctors recommend a specific vaccination or treatment is that the rewards outweigh the risks dramatically. For Gardasil, for many people, the reward of being immune to some of the most dangerous cancer causing viruses on the planet today is a massive reward.
In regards to Gardasil, it is true that leading health officials have at times questioned the need to administer the vaccine. The risks of death are extremely low, but the thought is that regular cervical screenings could help catch cancers early without the need to take on the risk for the vaccine at all. The only difference is this: if you are getting regular screenings and cancer is found, then you have to be treated for that cancer. If you get Gardasil as a vaccination, then that cancer is prevented automatically.
That’s why so many parents are getting their children vaccinated against this virus. It is important to note that it is a voluntary vaccination, just as any medical procedure happens to be. You don’t have to give your children an MMR vaccine either if you don’t wish to do so. The consequences of not getting a vaccine, however, can be enormous. Vaccines were developed because millions of people were getting sick and dying of diseases. The risks of the vaccine were greatly outweighed by the rewards that were offered.
Compared to other vaccines, Gardasil stands up to the test. It has the same prevalence of allergy development as other vaccines. It has equal or even lower death rates per 1 million doses as vaccines that are considered to be mandatory by many people. In return, Gardasil protects people against common forms of cancer that HPV wants to create within the human body. It’s a small trade-off, but one that is very important – especially if there is a family history of cancer.
We do need better ways of tracking vaccine side effects. With electronic records in most locations, there is no reason to create a direct reporting system instead of a voluntary one. To say that Gardasil is killing people and should be avoided, however, is not a fair statement to make. More people choke to death on improperly swallowed food every year.