No topic triggers as much controversy on our social media sites or Checkup Newsroom as vaccines. When it comes to the HPV vaccine, people are especially passionate.

You may have seen the comments on Cook Children’s Facebook page after we announced an upcoming Facebook Live event. “Take The Shot. Prevent Cancer. A Conversation About HPV” will feature experts from Cook Children’s and Baylor Scott & White at 1:30 p.m. CST on Thursday, April 12.

We know there is a small but aggressively vocal group of people who have made their mind up on this issue. No amount of science will sway their firm stance against vaccines.

However, we feel it’s important as a health care organization to provide facts for our readers. That’s why we are taking this opportunity to discuss some of the arguments against the HPV vaccine and debunk many of the myths being spread on the Internet.

Myth 1: The HPV Vaccine is New

The United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history. Years of testing are required by law to ensure the safety of vaccines before they are made available for use in the United States. This process can take 10 years or longer. Once a vaccine is in use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitor any possible side effects (adverse events) through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and other vaccine safety systems.

The HPV vaccine – Gardasil^® 9 – went through years of extensive safety testing before they were licensed by FDA. Tens of thousands of people participated in studies for the HPV vaccines. No serious safety concerns were identified in these clinical trials. FDA only licenses a vaccine if it is safe, effective and the benefits outweigh the risks. CDC and FDA continue to monitor HPV vaccines to make sure they are safe and beneficial for the public.

Click here to learn more.

Myth 2: The HPV Vaccine Causes Side Effects

While no vaccine or medicine is completely without risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review all safety info on HPV vaccines. Most reported adverse events following HPV vaccination are considered minor. Pain at injection site, headache, nausea, fever & fainting are the most common adverse events after HPV vaccination. Fainting occurs in some people because the vaccine stings a little more when it is given. Keeping vaccine recipients in a seated position for 15 minutes after the injection prevents fainting episodes. Click to learn more.

Approximately 79 million doses of HPV vaccine have been distributed since the vaccine was introduced, and no serious side effects have been linked to HPV vaccination. The most common side effects after HPV vaccine are mild and include pain in the arm where the shot was given, fever, dizziness, and nausea. For more information, click here.

Myth 3: The HPV Vaccine Could Cause Fertility Problems For My Child

Currently, there no legitimate data or any evidence that suggest getting the HPV vaccine will have an effect on future fertility for women. In fact, getting vaccinated and protecting against HPV-related cancers can help women and families have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

Not getting HPV vaccine leaves people vulnerable to HPV infection and related cancers. Treatments for cancers and precancers might include surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation, which might cause pregnancy complications or leave someone unable to have children. Click here to learn more.

Myth 4: A Child 11 Or 12 Years Old Is Too Young To Receive The Vaccine

For HPV vaccine to be most effective, the series should be given prior to exposure to HPV. Most of our kids (80 percent) will become infected with the types of HPV that can cause cancer unless they get vaccinated. Waiting increases the chance that they will become infected before the vaccine can protect them. Click to learn more.

Like all vaccines, we want to give HPV vaccine earlier rather than later. If you wait, your child may need three shots instead of two. More information on this topic can be found here.

Myth 5: HPV Vaccination Gives My Child Permission to Be Promiscuous

Research actually shows the opposite. According to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), HPV vaccination among 11 to 12 year olds did not increase sexual activity-related outcomes such as pregnancy, STD infection or testing or contraceptive counseling. Click here to read the study.

Studies tell us that getting the HPV vaccine doesn’t make kids more likely to start having sex. However, HPV is a very common infection in women and men that can cause cancer. Starting the vaccine series today will help protect your child from the cancers and diseases caused by HPV as an adult. Intimate contact that is short of intercourse (making out) is sufficient to transmit HPV. Click to learn more.

Myth 7: I Heard The Shot Causes HPV

The HPV vaccine does not cause HPV infection or cancer. The HPV vaccine is made from one protein from the virus, and is not infectious, meaning that it cannot cause HPV infection or cancer. Not receiving HPV vaccine at the recommended ages can leave one vulnerable to cancers caused by HPV. Click here to read about the science behind this statement.

Myth 8: The HPV Vaccine Is Too Expensive

Are you interested in getting HPV vaccine for your child but concerned about the cost? The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program may be able to help. VFC provides vaccines for children ages 18 years and younger, who are uninsured, Medicaid-eligible, American Indian or Alaska Native. Learn more by clicking here.

Myth 9: The HPV Vaccine Damages Women’s Ovaries

The CDC is aware of public concern about the safety of HPV vaccine. Since the vaccine’s introduction in 2006, vaccine safety monitoring and studies conducted by the CDC, FDA and other organizations have documented a reassuring, excellent safety record. There is no current evidence that HPV vaccines cause reproductive problems in women.

Myth 10: The HPV Vaccine Contains Dangerous Amounts of Aluminum

Small amounts of aluminum have been used safely in vaccines for more than 70 years. It’s added to help the body build stronger immunity against the germ in the vaccine. Aluminum is one of the most common metals found in nature and is present in air, food and water. The amount of aluminum present in vaccines is low and is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Aluminum is present in U.S. childhood vaccines that prevent hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP, Tdap), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), human papillomavirus (HPV) and pneumococcus infection. Click here to learn more.

Myth 11: The HPV Vaccine Doesn’t Really Prevent Cancer

Every year, more than 30,000 people in the US are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV. That’s one case every 20 minutes.

More Articles On HPV:

• New Study Says Boys Less Likely to be offered HPV vaccination
• ‘We Have a Vaccine That Can Prevent Cancer'
• Texas Ranks Near Last in HPV Vaccination Rate
• Study Finds 1 in 9 Males Infected with Oral HPV
• Pediatrician Leads New Initiative To Improve HPV Vaccination Rates
• Protection From HPV Now Easier For Kids
• Early Evidence Shows HPV Is Working
• HPV Raises Risk of Head and Neck Cancer Sevenfold
• What's New With the HPV vaccine?

Jason Terk, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s, has received national attention for calling HPV vaccination rates an “epic fail.” Now, he’s steering a plan to improve HPV vaccination rates for pediatricians in each of Cook Children’s 27 primary care practices.

Using the reporting capability of the electronic medical record at Cook, Dr. Terk will calculate the HPV vaccination rate of each primary care pediatrician’s and practice’s 12-14 year old patients. Then, half of those pediatricians and practices will be given an educational session showing how they can improve their vaccination rates while the other half will serve as a control group.

The goal is to get more patients between the ages of 12 and 14 vaccinated against HPV.

“We will help lay out an action plan for the practices and set a goal of increasing vaccination rates by 10 percent over six months,” Dr. Terk said.

The physicians will then be given a progress report after 3 months.

“We will compare the vaccination rates between the group who received the educational sessions and those that did not both at 3 months and 6 months to measure the effectiveness of the educational sessions and action plan,” Dr. Terk said. “If the process improves vaccination rates, we will spread the education throughout the system with the goal of providing the best care for all of our patients.”

Vaccination rates for HPV are comparatively lower than other adolescent vaccines primarily because parents don’t perceive that their teens' physicians strongly recommend it. And, physicians may not provide an unequivocally affirmative endorsement of the HPV vaccine because they erroneously believe they will meet resistance from the parents of their teen patients.

Across the country, the number of children who receive the HPV vaccine is very low compared to other vaccines they are scheduled to receive at the same time. This is despite the fact that meningitis and pertussis are much less common than HPV.

HPV is so common, in fact, that the journal JAMA Oncology reported in January that nearly half of American men may have an HPV infection known to cause cancer. This is based on a study of 1,868 men, ages 18 to 59. Among the group, only 10.7 percent were vaccinated against HPV while 45 percent reported having genital HPV.

The study shows that work still needs to be done to raise awareness about the dangers of HPV and how to prevent an infection with the highly effective HPV vaccine.

“One of the major problems with HPV is that it may be 20 or 30 years before a person develops cancer due to an infection that happens in the teen years,” Dr. Terk said. “Unfortunately, waiting until HPV is contracted is not an option. We have to make every effort to provide our patients the HPV vaccine so we can put an end to the thousands of teens who move through Cook Children’s without ever gaining this indispensable protection.”

New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires only two doses of the vaccine spread over six months for younger teens 11-14 years of age. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the body that formulates recommendations on how the vaccines which are licensed by the FDA should be used in this country, voted for the change.

The ACIP says older teens and young adults, ages 15 to 26, will still need three doses because they don’t have as robust a response as younger teens.

“This is good news because it will mean that more younger teens can be considered fully vaccinated if they complete their series of two doses over six months prior to their 15th birthday,” said Jason V. Terk, a Cook Children’s pediatrician in Keller and someone who has been at the forefront of HPV vaccination efforts. “Fewer doses means better compliance with this important cancer-preventing vaccine.”

Under the new schedule, the first of two doses of the HPV vaccine should be administered at 11 or 12, although it could be given as early as 9, as under the previous guidance. The second dose would be administered six to 12 months after the first dose.

According to the CDC, about 80 million Americans are infected with HPV; in most cases, the immune system clears the infection. Still, more than 38,000 cases of HPV-associated cancers occur in the United States every year.

Related Articles

• Early evidence HPV vaccine is working
• HPV Raises Risk of Head and Neck Cancer Sevenfold
• 'Epic fail
• Cook Children's Keller Clinic
• What is unique about pediatric leadership?

About the Source

Jason Terk, M.D., is a Cook Children's pediatrician in Keller. He earned his medical degree from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine (Mayo Clinic) in Rochester, Minnesota. His interests include public policy advocacy for children's health issues, focusing primarily on vaccines. Dr. Terk is board-certified in pediatrics.