HPV Vaccines Questioned

Here in Texas, Governer Rick Perry tried by fiat to make the HPV virus mandatory but such a howl of protest arose that he backed down.

As frequently happens, now that there has been some time to consider whether taking such a vaccine is really a benefit, there are some real doubts arising.

Here is part of an article in the New York Times to addresses some of the questions.

Duncan



Researchers Question Wide Use of HPV Vaccines
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Two vaccines against cervical cancer are being widely used without sufficient evidence about whether they are worth their high cost or even whether they will effectively stop women from getting the disease, two articles in this week's New England Journal of Medicine conclude.

Both vaccines target the human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted virus that usually causes no symptoms and is cleared by the immune system, but which can in very rare cases become chronic and cause cervical cancer.

The two vaccines, Gardasil by Merck Sharp & Dohme and Cervarix by GlaxoSmithKline, target two strains of the virus that together cause an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancers. Gardasil also prevents infection with two other strains that cause some proportion of genital warts. Both vaccines have become quick best sellers since they were licensed two years ago in the United States and Europe, given to tens of millions of girls and women.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/health/21vaccine.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=health&adxnnlx=1219335271-x9SgZFwVczlgNJxDckKSUQ&pagewanted=print
Click this link for the rest of the story:
http://snipurl.com/3ig07