Gardasil: has your daughter had this vaccine?

Nurses General Nursing

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My daughters' pediatrician is encouraging all female patients to receive this vaccine. I have mixed feelings about this. I do not want my girls to get cervical cancer from HPV, but in 15 yrs from now, what if we find out that there are long-term problems associated with the vaccine? Why are males not targeted for this vaccine? I am interested in hearing from nurse/mothers who have or have not gotten their daughters vaccinated and why.

I just wrote a research paper on Gardasil/Cervarix (another vax awaiting FDA approval), so I can clear up a couple of things. They are currently testing Gardasil on men, on my campus actually. It has been shown to be safe so far but they are waiting to see about efficacy. HPV behaves differently in the male body, so there is no guarantee that the same vax will work in men. Also, the only KNOWN side effects are slight fever and pain at the injection site. The vaccine was tested in 22,000 women and they were observed for 5 years. Right now we don't know if there could be a possible rare adverse effect, as 22,000 isn't a lot of people. We also don't know when or if girls who get vaccinated at 12 will need a booster. I think it's a good idea, but I oppose making it mandatory yet.

Thank you for the information...I'm more concerned with things like women who take it, and have babies later, that may take it while pregnant and a test may not yet show pregnancy or become pregnant a short time later.

I know it's a tough call for women of teenage girls...very tough call.

Specializes in ICU, Med/Surg, Ortho.
One thing to remember: Gardasil only protects against 4 of the 10 strains of HPV that cause cancer, and it does not protect at all against the other 20 strains of sexually transmitted HPV.

True, but misleading. Those four strains account for over 70% of the cervical cancer cases. So the vaccine is much more effective than this poster makes it sound.

As someone who is in remission for cervical cancer, and highly likely to have it both return and cause my death, I just want to say I wish the vaccine had been available to me.

I married my high-school bf at 18. I was faithful, he was not. We divorced after 5 years. I had 1 subsequent relationship of 4 years duration. No other sexual relationships.

Now I am 38 and facing probable death.

Yes, there may be side effects of the vaccine. Trust me, the negative effects of cancer are worse!

Be your daughters advocates, get them the vaccine. Please.

:twocents:

Stacie

I talked to my doc about Gardisil with regards to female-only recommendations. His statement was that it was rediculous for it to *only* be targeted for females "because we men can get it to, that's how you women get it...FROM US" LOL He said the reason it is only being given to females right now is because the studies were only done on females, so no known safety/danger parameters for males. He said he felt that in due time testing will be done on males and it will be marketed to both genders, as it should be. Early studies were targeted at women becuase of the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer although for the life of me I can't figure out why they couldn't have just included males in the beginning and started work on batting down HPV from both sides.

Specializes in Case Managemnt, Utilization Review.

I believe it should be mandatory. It will help to decrease the # of abnormal paps from HPV and the cervical cancer rate. There was an uproar when the chickenpox vaccine came out. Now when kids get chicken pox, they present differently and far less sick. My concern would be the possibility of mutation of the HPV to something that Gardisil can not cover adequately.

Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.
I believe it should be mandatory. It will help to decrease the # of abnormal paps from HPV and the cervical cancer rate. There was an uproar when the chickenpox vaccine came out. Now when kids get chicken pox, they present differently and far less sick. My concern would be the possibility of mutation of the HPV to something that Gardisil can not cover adequately.

I'm all for everybody getting it, but I don't think that it sould be federally mandated. If the government backs it, then Merck will no longer be responsible for negative outcomes. Drug companies are already buying laws and lobbying. I hear the rustle of billions of dollars lining Merck's pockets, along with some metaphorical 30 pieces of silver used to gain this power.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
I believe it should be mandatory. It will help to decrease the # of abnormal paps from HPV and the cervical cancer rate. There was an uproar when the chickenpox vaccine came out. Now when kids get chicken pox, they present differently and far less sick. My concern would be the possibility of mutation of the HPV to something that Gardisil can not cover adequately.

Have you looked at some of the newer research about the chickenpox vaccine?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/health/15pox.html?ex=1331611200&en=8439a614fed73800&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

"And when vaccinated children were infected, they tended to be sicker, probably because they were older." It really takes quite some time before we really know the efficacy, long term effects until QUITE some time. Of course comparing chickenpox to HPV is like comparing apples to oranges, but I hope my point is still valid when it comes to vaccines and efficacy, long term effects, etc.

I agree, I do worry about the other HPV strains mutating-- I have read some concerns about the meningitis vaccine and that already happening. That is an excellent point.

My daughter received her first shot 2 weeks ago. I provided both my daughter and wife with the cdc recommendations and I support vaccinations.

Go for it.

If you google it - you will find many articles regarding the negatives . . .

It is too soon for me to subject my daughter to this.

http://www.909shot.com/PressReleases/pr62706gardasil.htm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=67980

steph

Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU, ER, PICU.

I attended a Merck conference on this vaccine and I will definitely get my daughters vaccinated. I am not sure if I am for or against making it mandatory....I think a lot of people have reservations because it is new...I had many parents on the "fence" about it.

No, I wouldn't. I have 2 sons, and both are in college and are virgins and are Christians. I just hate that the states are trying to make it mandatory. If I had a daughter, I would not allow her to get this, as we practice abstinence until married, but 89% of the population won't abstain, so it has to be an individual choice.

I hate the way some vaccines are forced, and when we were kids, we didn't have 1/2 of the vaccines and when they were little, I actually lied and did not let them have the hepB vaccines, or was it some other one, that was optional because of the correlation of vaccine and autism. I don't like all the foreign chemicals and hormones and vaccines we put in our bodies, but polio, MMR, and other ones I feel are the norm and are good.

Anyone else?? Good question!!

:)

Deb

I just wrote a research paper on Gardasil/Cervarix (another vax awaiting FDA approval), so I can clear up a couple of things. They are currently testing Gardasil on men, on my campus actually. It has been shown to be safe so far but they are waiting to see about efficacy. HPV behaves differently in the male body, so there is no guarantee that the same vax will work in men. Also, the only KNOWN side effects are slight fever and pain at the injection site. The vaccine was tested in 22,000 women and they were observed for 5 years. Right now we don't know if there could be a possible rare adverse effect, as 22,000 isn't a lot of people. We also don't know when or if girls who get vaccinated at 12 will need a booster. I think it's a good idea, but I oppose making it mandatory yet.

When I was doing my research on it a couple of months ago, according to the Merck website, it said it had been tested on something like 9,000 women--where does the 22,000 come from?

I also want to see if this number jives with your research--from what I could make out on their website, it was tested on 1,100 women under the age of 16. That is what irked me a lot. We've tested it on 1,100 women ages 9-15 and followed them for 5 years-yeah, it must be safe, so let's mandate it for millions of 12 year olds. Nah, we don't know the long term efficacy, nah, we don't know what happens when these women (oh, wait, these are *girls*) start having babies of their own, nah we don't know how this is going to play out in the future, but let's *mandate* it, anyhow.

I remember being pushed by my youngest daughter's ped to get the rotovirus vaccine, going back and forth with her over, and then it getting pulled from the market 6 months later because it was associated with intestinal issues in infants. If this is mandated, and a problem develops (remember Vioxx?), Merck won't be liable.

In West Virginia (maybe? or Virginia?) there was a proposal by their governor to make it optional but to offer it for free for all girls under age 18. That is something I could support; allowing them, their parents, and their docs to make the decision, and then making it readily available if they decide to get it.

Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU, ER, PICU.
No, I wouldn't. I have 2 sons, and both are in college and are virgins and are Christians. I just hate that the states are trying to make it mandatory. If I had a daughter, I would not allow her to get this, as we practice abstinence until married, but 89% of the population won't abstain, so it has to be an individual choice.

I hate the way some vaccines are forced, and when we were kids, we didn't have 1/2 of the vaccines and when they were little, I actually lied and did not let them have the hepB vaccines, or was it some other one, that was optional because of the correlation of vaccine and autism. I don't like all the foreign chemicals and hormones and vaccines we put in our bodies, but polio, MMR, and other ones I feel are the norm and are good.

Anyone else?? Good question!!

:)

Deb

While I respect your choice and view...ironically it is MMR that was "speculated" to cause autism. I have been in this debate for years with parents. As far as I know..there has never been sufficient data to establish a link between MMR and autism and because children often exhibit signs of autism around the same time the vaccine is normally given...that adds fuel to the debate. As far as the Gardasil issue, your child can practice abstinence until marriage and have sex on her wedding night and be infected with HPV from her husband who didn't know he was carrying the virus. Unfortunately the statistics of HPV speak for itself...ack! That's scary.

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