Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Most painful of childhood shots?

Filed in archive Cancer , Controversies , Sexual Health , Treatment , Women's Health on January 4, 2008

According to health experts, Merck's novel vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of cervical caner in young girls - is gaining the reputation of being the most painful of childhood shots.

Health officials have touted the Gardasil vaccine as an important new protection against a cancer-causing sexually transmitted virus. In recent months, they've also noted reports of pain and Fainting from the shot.

During its first year of use, reports of girls fainting from vaccinations climbed, but it's not clear whether the pain of the cervical cancer vaccine was the reason for the reaction.

Remember that Gardasil is the first vaccine approved specifically to target the human papilloma virus or HPV, the HPV-causing cervical and vaginal cancers. The FDA approved Gardasil for young girls (ages 9 to 26).

The makers of the vaccine -Merck- acknowledges the painful sting associated with Gardasil which they said is attributed partly to the virus-like particles in the shot.

Well, I guess that the short-lived pain and fainting associated with the vaccine is far way easy to handle than, say, cervical cancer.

Article and Photo source: Associated Press

[In Photo: Lauren Fant, left, 18, winces as she has her third and final application of the HPV vaccine administered by nurse Stephanie Pearson at a doctor's office Tuesday, Dec. 18 2007, in Marietta, Ga. This groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls is gaining a reputation as the most painful of childhood shots, health experts say. (AP Photo/John Amis)]