Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Pros and Cons
By Sarah Connor
Monday 19th October 2009
Monday 19th October 2009
The cervical cancer vaccine has been suggested to have caused the death of a 14-year old school girl. The girl died only hours after getting her first immunisation, although a subsequent autopsy also suggested that an undiagnosed tumour in the girl’s chest might also have contributed to her death.
A small number of other severe side effects from the vaccine have also been reported from paralysis to epilepsy. However, the girl’s death and these severe side effects of the vaccine have not been linked to the jab used in Scotland, Cervarix (by GlaxoSmithKline).
In the UK, girls from the ages of 12 to 18 years have been offered the vaccine in their schools. Or if you were born after 1st September 1990 you are also eligible as part of a one-off catch up program… if you would like it. Should you get vaccinated if it could potentially pose a risk to your health?
Cervical cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in women under 35-years old. About 1000 deaths a year (2006) are directly due to cervical cancer, with 3000 females a year being diagnosed with it. The cancer hit the press most recently with Jade Goodie dying at the young age of 27-years, leaving 2 sons.
70 per cent of cervical cancer is due to two types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) 16 and 18, which the Scottish vaccine protects against. There are other strains of the virus, some showing signs by causing warts or verrucas. HPV is passed through skin-to-skin contact, so infection is possible in people who are not sexually active if they have participated in (as government websites describe) deep petting or genital love play. It can take 10-20 years after initial infection for cervical cancer to develop. As HPV infections that can lead to cervical cancer do not show symptoms, the only way it can be detected is through cervical screening (the smear test) which all women, 20 years and older, are invited to attend.
If you do become infected with HPV you may never know and the infection could be successfully fought by your immune system. However, you stand a much better chance of not getting cervical cancer if you have had the immunisation and go to smear tests.
The vaccination consists of 3 jabs over 6 months made up of small bits of HPV but not the virus itself, so you can not catch HPV from the immunisation. The parts of the virus are enough for the body to be able to recognise the two types of HPV if you were in contact with it, allowing your body’s immune response to fight it off more effectively so you do not become infected.
The vaccine has already been tested on 20,000 women, with it being most effective in 10-14 year olds. Recognised side effects were soreness at the sight of the injection (in the upper arm), dizziness, slight temperature, nausea, diarrhoea and joint pain – all commonly associated with your body fighting infections, (which is what your body is doing when you get immunised, making an immune response to be able to fight off possible HPV virus in the future.)
The scientific data would suggest that immunisation against getting a very nasty ‘silent’ cancer is a good idea; though there is a possible way the immunisation program could be made more effective: by immunising boys. Boys do not have a cervix and therefore can not develop cervical cancer, but they can carry and spread the virus. Should boys be immunised against a female’s cancer? It could help prevent the further spreading of this deadly virus to non-immunised women and potentially to women later in life when the vaccine may wear off.
A small number of other severe side effects from the vaccine have also been reported from paralysis to epilepsy. However, the girl’s death and these severe side effects of the vaccine have not been linked to the jab used in Scotland, Cervarix (by GlaxoSmithKline).
In the UK, girls from the ages of 12 to 18 years have been offered the vaccine in their schools. Or if you were born after 1st September 1990 you are also eligible as part of a one-off catch up program… if you would like it. Should you get vaccinated if it could potentially pose a risk to your health?
Cervical cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in women under 35-years old. About 1000 deaths a year (2006) are directly due to cervical cancer, with 3000 females a year being diagnosed with it. The cancer hit the press most recently with Jade Goodie dying at the young age of 27-years, leaving 2 sons.
70 per cent of cervical cancer is due to two types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) 16 and 18, which the Scottish vaccine protects against. There are other strains of the virus, some showing signs by causing warts or verrucas. HPV is passed through skin-to-skin contact, so infection is possible in people who are not sexually active if they have participated in (as government websites describe) deep petting or genital love play. It can take 10-20 years after initial infection for cervical cancer to develop. As HPV infections that can lead to cervical cancer do not show symptoms, the only way it can be detected is through cervical screening (the smear test) which all women, 20 years and older, are invited to attend.
If you do become infected with HPV you may never know and the infection could be successfully fought by your immune system. However, you stand a much better chance of not getting cervical cancer if you have had the immunisation and go to smear tests.
The vaccination consists of 3 jabs over 6 months made up of small bits of HPV but not the virus itself, so you can not catch HPV from the immunisation. The parts of the virus are enough for the body to be able to recognise the two types of HPV if you were in contact with it, allowing your body’s immune response to fight it off more effectively so you do not become infected.
The vaccine has already been tested on 20,000 women, with it being most effective in 10-14 year olds. Recognised side effects were soreness at the sight of the injection (in the upper arm), dizziness, slight temperature, nausea, diarrhoea and joint pain – all commonly associated with your body fighting infections, (which is what your body is doing when you get immunised, making an immune response to be able to fight off possible HPV virus in the future.)
The scientific data would suggest that immunisation against getting a very nasty ‘silent’ cancer is a good idea; though there is a possible way the immunisation program could be made more effective: by immunising boys. Boys do not have a cervix and therefore can not develop cervical cancer, but they can carry and spread the virus. Should boys be immunised against a female’s cancer? It could help prevent the further spreading of this deadly virus to non-immunised women and potentially to women later in life when the vaccine may wear off.