Gardasil® HPV Vaccine
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The relatively new Gardasil® HPV vaccine was introduced to the U.S. market in 2007 to provide protection against several types of HPV (human papillomavirus) infections that can cause cervical cancer or genital warts. The makers of Gardasil®, the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., state that this vaccine protects against:
- two types of HPV that cause 70% of all cases of cervical cancer, and
- two other types of HPV that cause 90% of all cases of genital warts
Guarding against Some HPV Types
There are about 130 different types of HPV, and about 30 to 40 of them are transmitted through sexual contact. Gardasil® vaccinates against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 (which are not the only HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer). Many people have HPV and don't even realize it; there are often no symptoms or signs.
FDA Approval
Gardasil® was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for girls and young women aged nine to 26 years old. The reason for Gardasil® vaccination at such a young age as nine is based on Gardasil®'s mechanism of action — it's designed to be administered before the recipient has any contact with the above-mentioned HPV types, which are transmitted by any kind of sexual or genital contact.
Although HPV affects both males and females and males and is thought to be the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., Gardasil® is approved only for females at this time in the U.S. In the U.K., Gardasil® is approved for use in males aged nine to 15.
Gardasil® Side Effects
In April 2009, a study of the reports of adverse health events related to Gardasil® was released. The findings indicated a possible link between Gardasil® and the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a potentially fatally nervous system disorder. Other possible Gardasil® side effects include both relatively minor —
- nausea, vomiting
- headache
- fever
- fainting
- dizziness
and serious symptoms, including —
- (ALS) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative muscle disease
- Bell's palsy
- paralysis
- seizures, epilepsy
- blood clots, which can travel to a lung or the brain
Get Informed about Gardasil® HPV Vaccine
If you have legal concerns about Merck's Gardasil® HPV vaccine, talk to a Gardasil® attorney who represents individuals harmed by the vaccination. There is much to learn about this vaccination and the health problems that have been linked to it.
