The HPV Vaccine: Everything You Need to Know About Gardasil
You may have seen the commercial urging you to be “one less.” And chances are your doctor or gynecologist has asked if you have, or would like to be vaccinated. Both are referring to protecting yourself from Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that according to WebMD, is actually really common - at least 50% of all people who have sex at some time in their lives will get it. However, while some people don't have any symptoms and the HPV infection goes away on its own, certain types can lead to cervical cancer. Fortunately, HPV is 100% preventable when we make smart, informed decisions about our health. Receiving regular pap smears and using protection while having sex are two safe practices recommended by all doctors. However, a fairly new option is Gardasil, a cervical cancer vaccine that protects against four types of human papillomavirus (HPV) – two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases and two more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. Every year, about 12,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 4,000 die from the disease, with college-age women falling in the age range considered most at risk. If you’re feeling a little in the dark about HPV or the vaccine, don’t fret! Consider this Gardasil 101:
What exactly is Gardasil?
Gardasil is a vaccine used to prevent against certain types of HPV. It’s a shot given in the arm as three separate doses with a sort of “timeline”; the second dose should be given two months after the first dose, and the third dose should be given four months after the second dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that all girls 11-12 years old get vaccinated. The goal is to vaccinate prior to sexual activity, but Gardasil is also highly recommended for girls and women ages 13 through 26 years old who are already sexually active and have not been vaccinated.
What Does Gardasil Prevent?
Gardasil prevents against certain types of HPV that can cause genital warts or abnormal cell changes in the cervix and other genital areas, which can lead to cervical cancer in women. Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 4,000 women die from this disease in the U.S. alone.
How Much Does It Cost?
Gardasil costs about $125 per dose, which is $375 for the full series of shots. While some insurance companies may cover the vaccine, others do not – and the high cost is a major reason why some women aren’t getting vaccinated. According to the CDC, however, there are some options to help pay for the vaccine - some states also provide free or low-cost vaccines at public health department clinics to people without health insurance coverage for vaccines. Talk to your school’s health services who might know about more payment options under your university’s health insurance plan.
Are There Risks Involved?
Recent news reports have been focused on girls who have had adverse side effects from the vaccine. However, the FDA and CDC have been scrutinizing the safety of Gardasil, and continue to find that it’s a safe and effective vaccine and that its benefits continue to outweigh its risks. Common side effects from the shot include pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and fainting. For a complete list of side effects you can visit gardasil.com. Sources http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccines/HPV/HPVArchived.html http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-144456-GARDASIL+IM.aspx?drugid=144456&drugname=GARDASIL+IM&source=1 http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-144456-GARDASIL+IM.aspx?drugid=144456&drugname=GARDASIL+IM
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About the Author
Biography
Emily Weisberger is a senior at Brandeis University, majoring in Health: Science, Society, and Policy and minoring in Journalism. She is originally from Wayne, New Jersey, but feels like she has made the transition to true New Englander after living in the Boston area for four years. Emily spends most of her time playing tennis as the captain of the Brandeis women’s team, interning at a local non-profit, and trying to make the most out of her senior year! This past summer she interned at Body + Soul Magazine, where she realized a passion for health journalism. A few of Emily’s favorite things include traveling (she spent a semester in Copenhagen), making mix CDs, a good Forever 21 purchase, and Woody Allen films.
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Comments
Gardasil on Trial
Listen to the side effects....
pain in the area of injection - 83.9 % (not including the girls saying they get a huge painful knot in their arm
swelling in the area of injection - up to 25.4 percent (not including rash or extreme heat)
redness in the area of injection - up to 24.6 perecent (not including bumps, and swelling all over body in hands and feet and face where a few girls eyes swelled shut)
Fever - up to 13% (some feavers going over a hundred degrees)
Headache - up to 12% (not including migranes that may last for days on end)
Nausea - up to 6.7% ( some girls vomited for days on end causing massive dehydration)
Dizziness - up to 4% ( not including the girls that have randomly blacked out and fallen down while in the tub, in the driveway or shower)
Diarrhea - up to 3.6% ( some girls experienced it for months non stop)
Oh you want more symptoms that they list? but not entirely?
Vomiting
Coughing
Toothache
General ' ill' feeling (that means all the time)
Joint pain (especially in the back and in the feet, that may stop you from walking altogether)
Trouble sleeping ( insomnia)
Stuffy or runny nose
Sore Throat
Upper respiratory tract infection (they say ' such as common cold') I say PNEMONIA .. did you see that word INFECTION? those don't just go away
Muscle pain (back especially, also 'adverse side effects include arms and legs feeling jittery or jerking involuntarily)
Dizziness ( meaning fainting, or blacking out)
Those are just the ones they TELL you about. Having one or the other at any given time is bad but can totally be dealt with right?
Ps. Those ' percentages' are by DOCUMENTED cases only. That means that a doctor checked out the patient and actually ADMITTED that Gardasil was the culpret.
Having one or maybe two of those symptoms at any given time is awful. Right? Who wants pnemonia, or dizziness or vomiting? No one...
But guess what... most patients that experience these symptoms do not experience just one or two... try them ALL... or the majority of them ALL at the same time.
Don't believe me? You need to check out this site...read about these girls and what they CLEARLY went through because of the Gardasil or HPV vaccine... and what their families go through on a daily basis.....
http://sanevax.org/victims/gardasil-silgard-usa.shtml
Still don't believe me? Still want to do it? read this....
http://www.healinghq.com/wellness-blog/top-stories/82-gardasil-vaccine-safe-illness-fda.html
No? How about this?....
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html
A Editorial Doctor for The Journal of the American Medical Association said and I quote
" When it comes down to comparing the benefits of the vaccine against the potential risks there is simply not enough evidence to recommend to all parents that their daughters get vaccinated. I don't think we know yet the long term benefits or risks. I'm going to take a pass on this one and say to parents ' study the issue, read the editorial and talk to your doctor '
Which means " We have no idea what this drug will do to people that were injected in the future, so next question "
There have been girls that have not only faced every single side effect. But there are also girls that have also been paralized, and suffer neurological disorders, some girls can't even speak or eat on their own, they are in constant pain every single day.
Just practice safe sex, and go to your doctor and take care of your body! You don't need to do this to yourself!
So many mothers are being pressured by their doctors to get their daughters to get this vaccine, they are being lied to told that there are hardly any side effects when that is clearly a lie. There have been 53 deaths from this 'vaccine ' 27 have been confirmed and the others they wont admit to even though it happend right after the injection. The country of spain took 75,000 doses of it out of their market because two girls were put in the hospital. Adverse side effects are 30 times higher than the Menactra ( menengitis) vaccine, and there are more reactions and deaths linked to gardasil than with ANY other vaccine given to the same age group. Over 10,000 adverse reactions to gardasil have been reported ( what about the ones that havent been) There have been over 10,000 DISMISSALS of more people getting adverse affects that are being investigated. There is a petition out to stop this vaccine from being used.
Stroke, blood clots, cardiac arrest, seizures, fainting, lupis are reported three to 30 times more frequently after injections from Gardasil.
people collapse convulse, become paralized, have heart attacks, and have many other chronic healthcare problems. after being vaccinated.
"The vaccination was inappropriately fast-tracked and licensed by the FDA and recommended by the CDC with too little attention paid to the reports of brain and immute system dysfunction that developed after vaccination in pre-licensure clinical trials. that same cavalier attitude twoard Gardasil-related deaths and serious health problems, which have been experienced by many girls and young women after licensure, is inexcusable"
Research EVERYTHING. It's not worth it to get this vaccine. Check out the first link I gave you and see the faces of beautiful girls that can no longer have a normal life, normal friends or be left alone and have a normal anything. Because of a stupid vaccination.
Gardisil Side Effects
Would you happen to know just how common the most common side effects of Gardisil are? I never got the shot myself because my best friend had an adverse reaction to it, and I'm wondering if I made the right decision.
side effects
The most common side effects are the same kind of effects that come with getting most shots. Speaking from personal experience, I had absolutely no side effects, but it does vary from person to person. Again, I want to stress that the CDC not only says that Gardisil is safe but they stress that women like us should be getting it. Talk to your doctor about your concerns - he or she may help you figure out what the right decision for you is!
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