Fact: The HPV vaccine has proven safe and effective in protecting young women from cervical cancer – the second most common form of cancer in women age 20-44.
- The HPV vaccine has been scientifically studied in thousands of women in North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific Region.
- Almost 100% of the women developed protective antibodies for the four types of HPV included in the vaccine.
- For those women, the vaccine prevented almost 100% of pre-cancer changes in the cervix for the four types of HPV included in the vaccine.
- The HPV vaccine is safe. Most side effects are minor and last only a day or two (fever or pain, redness and swelling at the site where the vaccine was given). These reactions are part of the body’s normal immune response and are common after most vaccines.
- Vaccines are licensed for use in Canada only if they meet very strict standards for safety and effectiveness.
- Assuring the safety of vaccines and medications does not stop with licensing.
- Across Canada there is a reporting network to Health Canada that keeps track of side effects from both vaccines and medications. Health Canada investigates any possible problems.
Fact: HPV vaccine has been very carefully and thoroughly studied — more, in fact, than many other vaccines.
- The HPV vaccine was only licensed for use in Canada after a wide range of studies showed it to be safe and effective. HPV vaccine has been studied more than many other vaccines.
- HPV vaccine is now being used in 122 countries around the world (for example, Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK, most European and Scandinavian countries). From their experience, and an extensive body of research, we know the vaccine works extremely well and is safe.
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 44 years.
- It’s always better to prevent disease than treat it. And young girls can be protected now.
Fact: The goal is to protect girls before they are sexually active.
- In BC, over 30% of girls are sexually active by the time they are 16 years old.
- Most of the girls and women who become infected with HPV first catch the disease within 2 to 5 years of becoming sexually active, so it is important to vaccinate them before they begin sexual activity. This includes any oral or genital contact; sexual intercourse isn’t necessary for HPC to spread.
- There are several types of HPV, and the vaccine prevents infection against specific types of HPV. If a girl is already infected with one or more types of HPV before the vaccination, the vaccine can't treat or get rid of those HPV types (although it will help prevent others).
Fact: There were several studies in this age group. And they showed very good immune response, with the girls making high levels of antibodies against HPV.
- In the studies with young women (aged 16 – 26 years), researchers were able to do both blood tests (which show antibody protection) and pelvic exams (which detect pre-cancer changes in the cervix). As it is not ethical to do pelvic exams on girls aged 9 to 15, only blood tests were done on them.
- The studies showed that both age groups developed high antibody levels after vaccination. In fact, the younger girls developed higher antibody levels than the young women. In the older age group the vaccine prevented almost 100% of pre-cancer changes in the cervix. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the vaccine would also prevent pre-cancer cervical changes for the younger girls.
Fact: Researchers have good reason to predict that HPV vaccine protection will last for at least 15 years, and probably all life long.
- Researchers predict this because the HPV vaccine causes an immune response similar to that seen with other vaccines.
- We know from the vaccine studies that there is good protection for 5 years and that the antibody level is much higher after vaccination than after natural infection with HPV. This is good news as a high antibody level usually means longer protection.
- Follow-up studies are being done to see if there will be a need for a booster dose in the future.
- The HPV vaccine will protect girls now. It’s far better to give the vaccine and then give a booster in the future, if needed, than not to give the vaccine at all.
Fact: Pap tests are an extremely important part of fighting cervical cancer. But the HPV vaccine helps prevent it in the first place — and helps many women avoid further uncomfortable tests and uncertainty.
- The Pap test identifies changes in the tissues that may progress to cancer of the cervix. Further tests are needed to determine if it is cancer, and if so, then treatments are needed. These tests and treatments can be uncomfortable and frightening.
- The vaccine will prevent more than 60% of the infections that cause the changes to the cervix and will decrease the need for further tests and treatments. In BC each year, the vaccine could save more than 10,000 women from having these additional tests.
Fact: Sexually active women of all ages will still need to get Pap tests after they’ve been vaccinated.
- The vaccine prevents infection with the two types of HPV that cause most cases of cervical cancer. But there are at least 40 types of HPV that can infect the genital tract.
- Sexually-active women still a need to get Pap tests to detect changes to the cervix caused by the other types of HPV.
Fact: An HPV vaccine program is worth the investment, recouping its costs in savings on testing and treatment for the cancers it prevents.
- Several HPV cost-effectiveness studies have been done.
- They show that HPV vaccine programs have a similar level of cost-effectiveness to many other types of medical and surgical health care.
Fact: The evidence suggests that being vaccinated against HPV will have no impact on the age people become sexually active.
- Like HPV, hepatitis B is a sexually-transmitted cancer-causing virus. In 1992, BC introduced a hepatitis B vaccine program for Grade 6 students.
- Instead of the vaccine program causing earlier sexual activity, the age of first sexual activity has actually risen in BC since it began — with teens reporting fewer partners.
- There is evidence that many factors influence young peoples’ decisions about early sexual activity. These include peer pressure, self-image, sex education, and impact of the media.
Fact: There is no evidence to link HPV vaccine to serious events.
- During the HPV vaccine trials, the women who had the HPV vaccine were compared with women who received placebo injections (that is, injections of salt water). The rate of serious events was identical in both groups.
- 95% of reported HPV vaccine side effects are very minor, and similar to those following other vaccines: usually fever or minor pain, redness and swelling at the injection site.
- A few people who were vaccinated in the U.S. then developed Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS), a nervous system disorder. But the percentage of cases of GBS is below the percentage that is usually reported for the US population. Scientists have concluded there was no connection between the vaccinations and the disorder.
- In Canada there have been no reports of GBS in those vaccinated.
- In the vaccine trials, deaths were reported in both groups, but investigators concluded that it is highly unlikely that the HPV vaccine caused the deaths. Most deaths were caused by the usual reasons seen in the age groups studied, such as motor vehicle accidents, overdoses and blood clots. Other causes were blood poisoning, pancreatic cancer, heart beat irregularities, and suffocation.
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