Doctors Warn Against Cervical Cancer Vaccine Gardasil
The doctors raise many questions about the effectiveness and long-term safety of the drug, and call into serious doubt that states like California will be able to successfully require vaccination against cervical cancer. The vaccine, produced by Merck, was approved by the FDA in 2006 for broader use, but concerns remain that Gardasil treats only certain types of cancer-causing viruses and that the long term effects of the vaccine on women is unknown.
As a parent with three daughters, I’m inclined to go ahead and vaccinate my kids when the times comes. But concerns raised by these doctors and others reinforces the importance of longitudinal studies to see the real impact of Gardasil on women’s long-term health.
The reason they can’t say for sure that it prevents cancer is that it will take 20 years to demonstrate that. They have demonstrated conclusively that it prevents pre-cancerous lesions (which is what you would expect if it prevents cancer). It does prevent infection with the major subtypes of HPV. It does prevent pre-cancerous lesions. And it is extremely unlikely that it doesn’t also prevent cancer (though again, we won’t know that for 20 years).
I won’t be having my daughter vaccinated or getting the vaccine myself. I didn’t need doctors to raise questions about the need for further study. The language used by Merck itself was enough to raise red flags for me: “MAY protect against SOME types of…” This isn’t like the Polio vaccine or the MMR were it WILL vaccinate against a given disease. It MIGHT protect some people against SOME types of HPV. On the other side of that coin you have the possibility that a few years from now they find out the vaccine causes other potential health risks.
My daughter is not a guinea pig. When they can say, “This vaccine WILL protect against THIS type or THESE types…” then I’ll rethink my decision.
I’m with you, CM! As someone who had a cervical cancer scare 20 years ago, it’s still something I think about and wish I didn’t have to worry about.
Men’s health, too — they’re working on a vaccine for boys as well. Can you imagine if the next generation never had to worry about HPV??