Should your young daughter be vaccinated against Cervical cancer?

We've all seen the commercials. The new cervical cancer vaccine marketed under the name Gardasil is advertised as the only cervical cancer vaccine that protects against strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV. How much do parents know about this vaccine? Who needs to be vaccinated? How does this vaccine work and is it necessary for young girls and preteens? Are parents being advice to have their daughters vaccinated for sound reasons or in an endeavor to make money? These are some of the questions facing the parents of young girls.

There is no doubt that cervical cancer is a deadly killer among women. It is estimated that this type of cancer kills approximately 4,000 women annually in the United States alone. Worldwide there were about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the year 2005, according to the World Health Organization.

Gardasil is currently the only vaccine licensed to be used in girls and women ages 9-26. It works by blocking two cancer-causing types of HPV types 16 and 18 in order to fight at the root cause of the cancer itself. In this way the vaccine is said to halt the cancer before it can begin. New data reports that this vaccine partially blocks infection by at least 10 strains of the virus causing cervical cancer plus the four types targeted by the vaccine.

The vaccine Gardasil is given in a series of three injections over a six month period. The second dose is administered two months after the first dose, and finally the third dose four months later. In clinical trials, researchers found that the levels of antibody raise in women with each dose of the vaccine. It is highly recommended that a catch-up immunization be given to those who failed to have the complete series of the vaccine.

The side effects of this vaccine seem to be mild and safe. The most common complaint thus far has been soreness in the upper arm where the injection site is located. Low grade fever and flu-like symptoms also appear to be common. The side effects did not constitute the series of the vaccination to be discontinued in the clinical trials performed. Also reported were 3 instances of Guillain-Barr syndrome which is a type of temporary paralysis that can last several weeks or months, and 3 cases of paralysis of the facial nerve. It should be noted that there is no evidence that these conditions were a result of the vaccine itself.

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