Introduction In 2006, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was created to prevent both HPV and cervical cancer, two serious diseases that affect millions every year. HPV is a group of sexually transmitted viruses that causes infectious papillomas, which are benign tumors, to appear at the site of infection. It is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, or CDC, “nearly all sexually active men and women get [HPV] at some point in their lives” (CDC, 2012). The majority of the time, HPV naturally goes away and does not cause any major complications, but in some cases, it can cause various cancers. In fact, HPV is known to cause more than 70% of cervical cancer cases
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A Columbian study conducted by Luna et al. (2013) found that none of the over 600 subjects, 24 to 45-year-old women who had received three doses of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, Gardasil, within one year, had HPV 6/11/16/18-related genital warts or cervical cancer 6 years after receiving their vaccinations. While the study was limited to the Columbian women, its results still accurately display the positive effects of the HPV vaccine on those who are vaccinated. In the United States, more than 23 million doses of Gardasil were administered through the end of the year 2008. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reported 11,916 documented cases of side effects from this vaccine; 94% of these side effects, including swelling, pain, and fainting, were considered non-serious (Pomfret, Gagnon, & Gilchrist, 2011). The remaining 6% were considered serious side effects; this category includes Guillain-Barre syndrome, blood clots, nervous system damage, and death. All of these serious “consequences” were analyzed by Pomfret, Gagnon, and Gilchrist and no underlying cause was found to connect the cases, meaning that the occurrence of the effects were not vaccine-related. A similar study (Basu, Banerjee, Singh, Bhattacharya, & Biswas, 2013) was conducted in the United States after 40 million doses of Gardasil were distributed. The VAERS reported 20,096 cases of adverse events, 8% of which were considered serious. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that none of the major or unexpected events, Guillain-Barre syndrome and a few deaths, could be attributed to the vaccine. Thorough review and safety precautions have shown that the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is safe to administer and harbors only a miniscule chance of causing adverse reactions. The
A Columbian study conducted by Luna et al. (2013) found that none of the over 600 subjects, 24 to 45-year-old women who had received three doses of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, Gardasil, within one year, had HPV 6/11/16/18-related genital warts or cervical cancer 6 years after receiving their vaccinations. While the study was limited to the Columbian women, its results still accurately display the positive effects of the HPV vaccine on those who are vaccinated. In the United States, more than 23 million doses of Gardasil were administered through the end of the year 2008. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reported 11,916 documented cases of side effects from this vaccine; 94% of these side effects, including swelling, pain, and fainting, were considered non-serious (Pomfret, Gagnon, & Gilchrist, 2011). The remaining 6% were considered serious side effects; this category includes Guillain-Barre syndrome, blood clots, nervous system damage, and death. All of these serious “consequences” were analyzed by Pomfret, Gagnon, and Gilchrist and no underlying cause was found to connect the cases, meaning that the occurrence of the effects were not vaccine-related. A similar study (Basu, Banerjee, Singh, Bhattacharya, & Biswas, 2013) was conducted in the United States after 40 million doses of Gardasil were distributed. The VAERS reported 20,096 cases of adverse events, 8% of which were considered serious. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that none of the major or unexpected events, Guillain-Barre syndrome and a few deaths, could be attributed to the vaccine. Thorough review and safety precautions have shown that the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is safe to administer and harbors only a miniscule chance of causing adverse reactions. The