The problem with each new drug that comes into the market is always the possible side effects which in some cases may even be worse than the problem. However, the only noted side effects of Gardasil were skin infections, which were quite rare and fainting. Both these problems are quite small and were also expected by the researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine study centre in Oakland.

What is the HPV Vaccine?

HPV stands for human papilloma virus, and the HPV vaccine is designed to keep people safe from infection with particular species of this virus. It can be taken by both males and females, and its main aim is to protect against certain STIs which are known to cause certain cancer types. Gardasil already was considered to be effective and also safe by many health regulators in the world but vaccines usually undergo follow up tests to ensure that even the less known side effects are known about in case they should exist.

The Study on HPV Vaccine

The study that gave these results involved both women and girls from the ages of 6 up to 26, and they were given the shots of Gardasil at least once between the years 2006 and 2008. Using electronic records, the researchers compared data from visits to the emergency room and hospitalization in the period immediately after the vaccine was given and those that were acquired months after the vaccination. In the set of data collected last, the side effects were no longer expected to appear. Apart from the part that was injected being sore, no other side effect could be linked to the drunk.

Seizures, birth defects and allergic reactions were all previously thought to be as a result of the vaccine but it was later established by as special committee that these conditions were more likely caused by conditions which had existed prior to the vaccine being introduced and most of these conditions had actually been detected during the administering of the shot.

The real results

The only notable finding from this research is that out of every 10000 females who received the shot only 1.8 of them had a skin infection in the two weeks after the injection, and this number dropped to 1 case every two weeks month after the injection was given. In certain cases, the infection was simply red swellings in the area around the injection point.

Fainting was six times higher on the day that the vaccination was done but the risk was also low. The fainting was thought to be simply a result of stress arising from the participant’s reaction to the injection itself. In the end, according to health expert Dr. Michael Brady, the vaccine was both working and safe and thus those who receive it should be quite comfortable. This is because when both the risk and benefits of the vaccines are considered, it is quite clear that the benefits triumph over the risk.