The HPV Vaccine and Teenage Girls
Is Gardasil the Best Choice for Preventing Cervical Cancer?
Feb 28, 2009
Since receiving approval in 2006, Gardasil, or the HPV vaccine, has become part of a national immunization campaign. Advertisements push parents to protect their girls by getting them vaccinated for HPV. Yet some concerns still exist about Gardasil, including whether or not it is safe for the young girls being targeted by the advertisements and school immunizations.
The HPV Vaccine for Girls Under 16
Dr. Diane Harper is one of the researchers who participated in trials of the HPV vaccine for Merck. Now, she’s raising cautions about administering Gardasil to young girls. Gail Johnson notes, “Relatively few girls aged nine to 15 were enrolled in clinical trials of Gardasil, yet those in this age range represent a priority target population for mass vaccination” (alive Magazine, December 2008). In that article, Harper explains that her concerns about this: “There is no way we can ethically do studies to prove efficacy in younger people.” More to the point, “at age nine, immunological systems are still developing” (Johnson), so perhaps this isn’t the best time to be immunizing girls.
However, the HPV vaccine is being given to this younger age group to catch them before they need the protection. Susan Carney points out that “Gardasil is only effective prior to infection: as a result, the recommendation is for the vaccines to be given prior to the start of sexual activity.” Robert Sears also suggests “getting vaccinated well before the possibility [of sexual activity] exists” (The Vaccine Book, Little, Brown and Company, 2007).
The HPV Vaccine for Women 16-24
Harper does believe in the HPV vaccine for women in their late teens and early twenties, saying “it’s ‘100 percent effective’ in females aged 16-24” (Johnson). At this age, women could make the choice for themselves, based on their own activity and whether or not they need the vaccine. Sears says, “Most sexually active women carry this virus by the time they are in their early twenties” and so they should be considering the vaccine.
Facts About HPV and Cervical Cancer
HPV (human papillomavirus) is a virus that causes genital warts, though a person can carry the virus and not have warts. Both men and women can contract HPV and pass it on to their partners during intercourse. The warts caused by HPV “often resolve themselves without treatment” (Sears), but can also become huge and ugly. These warts are treatable, as they can be removed in a variety of ways.
While HPV is “the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.” (National Vaccine Information Center), only a few strains cause cervical cancer, and the vaccine only protects women against the most common strains. However, the virus rarely turns into cervical cancer, as the body clears it out on its own. In Canada in 2008, there were only 1300 cases of cervical cancer (Johnson), while the United States averages 10,000 cases a year. However, compared to breast cancer (22,400 cases in Canada in 2008, according to Johnson) or lung cancer in women (11,300 in Canada in 2008), cervical cancer is a rather small concern.
The HPV Vaccine
Sears points out that Gardasil and Cervarix, another HPV vaccine awaiting approval, “simply make it less likely that a person will catch HPV disease. They are not a guarantee. Neither vaccine helps treat any active HPV warts or cervical disease.” The vaccine should not replace regular pap smears. Johnson also cautions that “no one knows whether the HPV vaccine will affect fertility” and that we don’t know “how long protection will last or whether people who receive it will need booster shots.” Further, the vaccine only works if women have not yet been exposed to the cancer-causing strains of HPV. The HPV vaccine also contains aluminum.
Several side effects from Gardasil have been reported. Harmless side effects include pain, redness, and swelling, as well as fainting, vomiting, fever, headache, and difficulty breathing. More harmful side effects include pancreatitis, miscarriage, anaphylaxis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and death due to blood clots.
Other Ways to Prevent Cervical Cancer
Regular pap smears can detect cervical cancer, and “a partial resection of the cervix provides a cure” (Sears). Condoms do not provide protection against HPV. Reducing the number of sexual partners reduces chances of catching HPV, and abstinence (or waiting until marriage to have sex) provides complete protection (if the spouse doesn’t have HPV).
While Gardasil is being marketed as the perfect solution to cervical cancer and a necessary protection for every girl, parents should think carefully about the HPV vaccine before taking their girls to receive it, weighing the risks of the vaccine with other methods of preventing disease and their daughter's lifestyle choices.
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