Guardasil is a vaccination against the HPV Human papilloma Virus. HPV is reponsible for cervical cancer, and by preventin HPV infections you can also prevent cervical cancer. Guardasil has been generally found to be safe and effective against HPV infection.
The Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) say the following about Guardasil and HPV vaccination:
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
In the United States, post-licensure vaccine safety monitoring and evaluation are conducted independently by federal agencies and vaccine manufacturers.
From June 2006-March 2013, approximately 57 million doses of HPV vaccines were distributed and VAERS received approximately 22,000 adverse event reports occurring in girls and women who received HPV vaccines; 92% were classified as “non-seriousExternal Web Site Icon.”
Reports received by VAERS peaked in 2008 and decreased each year after that; the proportion of female HPV reports classified as “seriousExternal Web Site Icon” (reports are classified as “serious” if they contain information that the event resulted in hospitalization, prolongation of an existing hospitalization, permanent disability, life-threatening illness, or death) peaked in 2009 at 12.8% and decreased after that to 7.4% in 2013 (for more information, see Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): “Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescent Girls, 2007-2012 and Postlicensure Vaccine Safety Monitoring, 2006-2013 — United States”
Among non-seriousExternal Web Site Icon adverse events, the most commonly reported generalized symptoms are:
- syncope (fainting)
- dizziness
- nausea
- headache
- fever
- urticaria (hives)
and the most commonly reported local symptoms are:
- injection-site pain
- redness
- swelling
Among the VAERS reports coded as “serious”: headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, syncope, and generalized weakness are the most frequently reported symptoms.
To date, adverse events reported to VAERS are consistent with those identified during the vaccine’s pre-licensure clinical trials, and reporting patterns have remained unchanged, with no new concerns, since a summary of VAERS reports was published in 2009.