The Human Papillomavirus, one of the few cancer vectors we can eliminate from the planet. Image courtesy of Laboratory of Tumor Biology and Bad Astronomy.
When it comes to vaccines, Gardasil gets more hype and misinformation than most. Because it conveys resistance to deadly forms of uterine cancer and other ailments, one would think this would be a no-brainer. But the vaccine prevents Human Papillomavirus virus which can be passed on through sexual activity, and knocking that out of the equation is seen by the far right uteratine-police as removing one of the penalties for
unauthorized pleasure sent down by Republican-Jesus. So misinformation abounds, both of the usual anti-vaxxer nonsense and the even uglier right-wing variety.
Now, a new, comprehensive study confirms what prior research has found:
We present a summary of the published, post-licensure safety data from active and passive surveillance. Only syncope, and possibly skin infections were associated with vaccination in the post-licensure setting. Serious adverse events such as adverse pregnancy outcomes, autoimmune diseases (including Guillain-Barre Syndrome and multiple sclerosis), anaphylaxis, venous thromboembolism, and stroke, were extensively studied, and no increase in the incidence of these events was found compared with background rates.
Conclusions: These results, along with the safety data from the pre-licensure clinical trials, confirm that the HPV4 vaccine has a favorable safety profile. Key policy, medical, and regulatory organizations around the world have independently reviewed these data and continue to recommend routine HPV vaccination.
Preventing thousands of people from suffering some of the most devastating and, thanks to Gardasil, most easily prevented cancers should be a national priority. And it is, among progressives, independents, and even many conservatives. But the usual suspects would rather see mass death and suffering than allow science and public healthcare policy any victory over these deadly diseases. Maybe if they knew it caused over 12,000 cases of
cancer in men every year, including over a thousand cases of penile cancer, they would re-evaluate that opposition.