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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Results of a new study reviewing the safety of the HPV vaccine is sending mixed messages.
From a study of more than 114,000 Australian young women, researchers found eight confirmed cases of anaphylaxis -- a rare but serious adverse effect to a vaccine, causing difficulty breathing, nausea and rashes. This rate is five to 20 fold larger than that identified in comparable school-based vaccination programs, raising concern among some about the safety of the vaccine.
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Some doctors say little alarm should be taken as the data could be due to allergic reactions to vaccine components, increased adverse event surveillance and even an apparent anaphylaxis outbreak in Australia.
Other doctors are reacting with praise rather than concern. In an accompanying editorial to the study, Canadian doctors say this study indicates the HPV vaccine is remarkably safe and only emphasizes the importance of restart public discussions about the safety of the HPV vaccine, the precautions taken to mitigate risks if anaphylaxis occurs, and the care taken in surveillance for adverse events following vaccination, Drs. Noni MacDonald, Matthew Stanbrook and Paul Hebert, were quoted as saying.
As of July 21, 2008, 11 cases have been reported [in the United States] in 2008. Over 13 million doses of this vaccine have been distributed as of the end of 2007, Neal Halsey, M.D., from the Institute of Vaccine Safety and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2008
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