http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33504211/[/url

BBC


Review of HPV vaccine side-effects
13 July 2015
From the section Health
HPV vaccination

The European Medicines Agency has begun a review of HPV vaccines, looking into possible rare side-effects.
Vaccination was introduced in 2008 for UK girls, to immunise them against the virus that causes cervical cancer.
The agency says its review does not question that the benefits of vaccination outweighs any risk.
It will focus on rare reports of two things - complex regional pain syndrome and a condition where standing up causes dizziness and rapid heart rate.
Both these conditions can occur in non-vaccinated individuals, and "it is considered important to further review if the number of cases reported with HPV vaccine is greater than would be expected", says the EMA

Based on this review, it will decide whether to recommend any changes to product information to better inform patients and healthcare professionals.
While the review is ongoing, there is no change in recommendations for the use of HPV vaccines.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common, mainly sexually transmitted infection.
Dr Sarah Branch, Deputy Director Of Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines at the UK's drug regulatory body, the MHRA, said: "More than eight million doses of HPV vaccine have been given in the UK, with close to 90% of eligible teenagers vaccinated. With this very high level of vaccine uptake, such reports are to be expected. But the vaccine isn't necessarily the cause and coincidental illness is a factor."
The MHRA says it has been notified about 12 cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and 10 cases of complex regional pain syndrome.

HPV, cervical cancer and the vaccine

I. HPV

1. There are many different strains of HPV. Each with its own pathogenicity and infectiveness.
a. HPV strains that can cause cancer are the sexually transmitted ones.
--- HPV types 16 and 18, are responsible for most HPV-caused cancers.
--- Cervical cancer: types, 16 and 18, are responsible for about 70 percent of all cases
--- Oropharyngeal cancers: more than half of cancers diagnosed in the oropharynx are linked to HPV type 16
--- Rare cancers: vaginal cancers, vulvar cancers, and penile cancers -- most of these are caused by HPV type 16.
b. Low-risk HPVs, which do not cause cancer but can cause skin warts on or around the genitals, anus, mouth, or throat.

2. Sexually active men and women will be infected with at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives.
--- Around one-half of these infections are with a high-risk HPV type.
--- Anyone who has ever been sexually active (that is, engaged in skin-to-skin sexual conduct, including vaginal, @nal, or oral sex) can get HPV.

3. Most high-risk HPV infections occur without any symptoms, go away within 1 to 2 years, and do not cause cancer.

4. Some HPV infections, can persist for many years.
--- Persistent infections with high-risk HPV types can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may progress to cancer.


II Cervical cancer

1. Cervical cancer typically develops from precancerous changes over 10 to 20 years.

2. It is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer.

3. Cervical cancer is most likely caused by HPV, but not all HPV infection will result in cervical cancer
--- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection appears to be involved in the development of more than 90% of cases; but most people who have had HPV infections, however, do not develop cervical cancer.
--- cervical cancer is a product of several risk factors resulting in abnormal cell growth

4. Risk factors
--- social/hereditary:
family history of cervical cancer
poverty (screened or treated for cervical pre-cancers)
smoking
diet low in fruits and vegetables

--- mechanical:
young age at first sexual intercourse (AFI)
multiple sexual partners
intrauterine device use
multiple full-term pregnancies (vaginal delivery)
younger than 17 at first full-term pregnancy

--- infectious:
HPV infection - strain specific
chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections

--- biological:
immunosuppression - HIV, malnutrition etc...
long-term use of oral contraceptives - birth control pills, ie. five or more years
diethylstilbestrol (DES)



III Vaccine

1. The vaccine does not protect infection from all HPV strains.

2. The vaccine does not give full guarantee to prevent cancer.

3. Although HPV vaccines have been found to be safe when given to people who are already infected with HPV, the vaccines do not treat infection.

4. Three vaccines available. All three vaccines protect from infections with HPV types 16 and 18.
--- Gardasil protect against genital warts and @nal cancer in both females and males. Protects against four strains (types) of HPV (6,11,16,18),
--- Gardasil 9 protect against genital warts and @nal cancer in both females and males. It is approved for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and @nal cancers caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58, and for the prevention of genital warts caused by HPV types 6 or 11.
--- Cervarix. Cervarix vaccine is used only in females. Cervarix will not prevent diseases caused by HPV types other than types 16 and 18.


IV Comments

1. People who are not sexually active almost never develop genital HPV infections.
--- However, because areas not covered by a condom can be infected by the virus, condoms are unlikely to provide complete protection against the infection.

2. Getting vaccinated does not preclude PAP smear screening for those with other risk factors.
--- Because these vaccines do not protect against all HPV types that can cause cancer, screening continues to be essential to detect precancerous changes in cervical cells before they develop into cancer.

3. Conflicting reports, studies and caveats on HPV vaccine exist.
--- In an analysis of nearly 600 women between the ages of 20 and 26, 60 percent of those who had received the original Gardasil vaccine, which protects against only four strains (types) of HPV , had a higher risk of being infected with another non-vaccine HPV virus strain.
--- HPV vaccine reduced HPV type-16 infections by only 0.6% in vaccinated women vs. unvaccinated women – and, similar to the featured study, data showed other high-risk HPV infections were diagnosed in vaccinated women 2.6% to 6.2% more frequently than in unvaccinated women.
--- There are also suspicions that Gardasil HPV vaccine might paradoxically increase your risk of cervical cancer if you are actively infected at the time of vaccination.

4. Adverse effects for vaccines may occur and are reportable (especially new ones)
--- Journal of Investigative Medicine researchers described the case of a 14-year-old girl who developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) with chronic fatigue two months following Gardasil vaccination.
--- European Journal of Neurology, described six patients who developed POTS from six days to two months following HPV vaccination.
--- POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions in your body such as your heart rate, balance, digestion, bladder control, and sleep. While rare, incidence of POTS appears to be increasing and emerging evidence suggests it may be an autoimmune disorder, in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body.
--- In addition, deadly blood clots, acute respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and "sudden death due to unknown causes" have all occurred in girls after they've received the Gardasil vaccine.

5. Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer.
--- routine pap smear testing may be a far more rational, less expensive, and less dangerous strategy for cervical cancer prevention
--- routine pap smear can identify chronic HPV infection and may provide greater protection against development of cervical cancer than reliance on HPV vaccines

Knowledge is power
Health is wealth
Stay healthy, be happy

Pansylilly,

Wow.. some of this I had no idea. I thought the vaccine was for ALL strains.
Thank you. :

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33504211/

Corrected the article link from first post.

You're welcome.