My take on the HPV vaccination...

What is it? HPV:Human Papilomavirus is a viral STD.. contracted through direct sexual skin-to-skin contact from an infected partner, not through an exchange of bodily fluid. No penetration is required to contract HPV. There are 100 types of HPV, and about 30 or so of them are transmitted sexually. There are currently two HPV vaccines on the market: Cervarix, and the more popular, Gardasil.... whose marketing stratagey tries to convince ladies that by getting the shot, they will be "one less" female to get cervical cancer. Both vaccines only carry the claim that they "may" protect against "certain kinds" of cervical cancer.... and targets only limited strains of the virus, which again, may be associated with the development of cervical cancer and genital warts.

Why? Not only do I think they are in need of years and years of research before giving it to our preteen daughters. Here's some of the things I have discovered through my research...

• While I will agree cancer is a very scary thing to deal with... HPV is only linked to cancer.... and in no way means HPV = cancer!

• Gardasilonly covers 4 out of over 100 strains of HPV... (so what about the other 96+?? )
  
• The overwhelming majority oh HPV infections (around 90%) clear on their own within 2 years. If a woman becomes infected with genital HPV, she has about a 10% chance of it not clearing on its own, and even if a woman contracts genital HPV there is only about a 1-2% chance that she will get cervical cancer. Yet they play it off like cervical cancer is at epidemic proportions, but the fact is that the odds of developing it are low anyway.

• HPV is a sexually transmitted disease...  If your daughter was never to have sex or only have sex with one man who never had sex with anyone else, your daughter would never get HPV. So that within itself is a whole can of worms depending on how you feel about premarital sex or whatever, right?  

• The vaccine doesn't always work to prevent cancer - even the vaccine manufacturer, Merck & Co., Inc., will tell you the vaccine won't prevent cancer.

• Gardisil could cause or provoke cause other types of cancer. including cervical cancer that's associated with HPV types not in the vaccine.

• Even the best doctors will tell you, that best way to prevent cervical cancer is routine pap smears!

• Gardasil contains aluminum, among other nasty ingredients.

• Gardasil went on sale in June 2006. As of the end of August 2007, the number of gardasil related adverse events recorded by VAERS (vaccine adverse event reporting system) has grown to 3,779, including 8 deaths -- As of July 3, 2008 the death toll had gone up to 15.... with 105 patients with reactions considered life threatening... 255 hospitalized... 1236 unrecovered at the time of the report.... and 159 disabled at the time of the report.

• Also, 3000 women die each year of cervical cancer in this country. However, since the vaccine has been introduced, there have been thousands of adverse reactions ranging from fainting, paralysis, bell's palsy, guillain-barre syndrome, and blood clots leading to death. here's a link. http://www.judicialwatch.org

• The clinical trials did not last long enough to actally prove that cervical cancer really could be prevented with this vaccine, and the vaccine itself hasn't been evaluated for whether or not it can cause cancer or fertility impairment.
  
• The The Hpv vaccine has been linked to five cases of birth defects.

• Most people with HPV DO NOT have symptoms, and most people who have symptoms DO NOT get cervical cancer (so what exactly are your chances? it doesn't say of course).