Is the HPV vaccine safe?
Yes.
I wish that could be the entire post but my goal is to educate, not dictate.
There have been a number of concerns about this vaccine, but those concerns are largely founded in fear and speculation. Here are the facts:
The vaccine is safe. Nearly two decades of administration have failed to scientifically show any actual short- or long-term health impacts from the vaccine. The only minor effects of the vaccine are slight fever, redness or tenderness where you got the shot and the possibility of fainting within the first 15-minutes after receiving the vaccine. These effects are seen for all vaccines given during adolescence.
Vaccination does NOT increase sexual activity in teenagers. Studies have proven this. Scientific studies. And did you know HPV isn’t the only sexually-transmitted infection we vaccinate against? Ever heard of Hepatitis B? We give a vaccine for that to babies. (And yeah, HepB is spread by sexual activity.)
The benefits are real. We are already seeing trends in reduced incidence of cervical cancer, with more studies on the impact on head and neck cancer in the works.
Hate shots? We now know that if you receive the first dose of the vaccine sooner (before 15 years old) you only need TWO shots instead of three to protect against HPV.
