Are Too Few Teenagers Receiving the HPV Vaccination?

 Posted on August 05, 2014 in Defective Drugs & Treatments

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in America. Not only is HPV associated with genital warts, it is known to cause cervical cancer in women and other types of cancers in men. Several years ago, the development of a vaccination to protect against the transmission of HPV was announced. There are currently two vaccinations for HPV being manufactured: Gardisil and Cervarix.

The CDC recommends that all boys and girls should finish the three HPV preventative shots by the time the time they are 11 or 12 (earlier if they are known to be sexually active) to help prevent the spread of the disease. However, according to Women's Health Magazine, early research into Gardasil and Cervarix showed that neither drug was entirely effective five years after the three-dose vaccine was administered. Cervical cancer is a slow-growing cancer, so for a vaccine to truly be effective it would need to be so for at least 15 years. "In the absence of long-term studies," Women's Health reports, "scientists can not say whether women who have received the shots will need to be poked again later."

WebMD also reports of ongoing HPV vaccination debates in regards to the benefits and risks associated with the vaccination, as "many adverse events have been registered with the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)." Over 18,000 complaints were reported by the end of 2010. And while most of the events were categorized as minor, there were reports consisting of blood clotting and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. In fact, one of the lead researchers for Gardasil, Dr. Diane Harper, revealed that "the side effects reported so far call for more complete disclosure to patients" and that patients need to be informed that protection "might not last long enough to provide a cancer protection benefit."

In addition, WebMD.com reports that a recent study revealed only one-third of the 18,000 girls surveyed received the HPV vaccination in 2013. The spokesperson for the American Sexual Health Association told WebMD.com that one reason for this was that parents are not yet accustomed to having the HPV vaccination in the childhood vaccination canon. Another reason was the various fears associated with the vaccine's safety and potential side effects and injuries that could be caused.

If your child received the HPV vaccination and experienced negative side effects about which you were not counseled, you may be eligible for compensation. Do not go through it alone. Contact a Crystal Lake vaccination injury attorney today to schedule an initial consultation.