Anyone catch this besides me? It was pretty interesting. They interviewed an oby/gyn doctor with a pre-teen daughter and he said he would not give her the shot. He said the old fashioned way (pap smears, etc...) are safer than this vaccine. There have also been 12,424 mild reactions, 772 serious reactions and 32 deaths.

From ABC News' Chief Medical Editor Dr. Timothy Johnson:

Today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) contains two articles - and an excellent editorial - addressing the question of whether the benefits of the Gardasil vaccine outweigh its risks. The vaccine is designed to prevent infection by two strains of the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus); these strains are said to account for about 70% of cervical cancer cases. The vaccine is now recommended for 11-12 year old girls before they become sexually active. For the first time in my career, I cannot recommend a vaccine for its intended population -- in this case, young girls. Therefore I am going to say that any parent considering this vaccine for their daughter should read the editorial in JAMA and then talk to their doctor before deciding.

August 18, 2009 |

Pretty strong words from the doc-"for the first time in my career I cannot recommmend a vaccine".