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| Web stokes Gardasil vax fears |
6-Jul-2007 |
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By Bianca Nogrady
First it was a mass fainting, now unsubstantiated rumours of a link to infertility have seen some parents withdraw approval for their daughters to receive the HPV vaccine, Gardasil.
Ms Glenda Woodward, local immunisation co-ordinator for the Yorke Peninsula Division of General Practice in SA, said two families had refused to allow their daughters to be immunised because of a fear the vaccine could lead to infertility. “The other day one of the girls said to the vaccinator, ‘So this means that I won’t get pregnant’,” Ms Woodward told Australian Doctor.
One girl’s parents had apparently been advised by their chiropractor to search the Internet for information about the infertility link, Ms Woodward said. An Internet search reveals several US sites that suggest infertility is a “concern”associated with the vaccine.
However, vaccine studies so far have not revealed adverse effects on fertility. Among about 18,000 female subjects who participated in trials of Gardasil, similar numbers of participants in both the active and control groups become pregnant during the trial.
“I think that there are some misconceptions out there, so it’s important for GPs to be able to respond to people’s fears and concerns appropriately,”Ms Woodward said.
The infertility fears follow recent events in Melbournewhere seven students were hospitalised after they reported feeling dizzy and fainting after administration of the vaccine.
“I think the faintings were a reaction to the needle rather than its contents,” GP and immunisation expert Dr Peter Eizenberg said.
Such events and reports were inevitable after a new vaccine was introduced, he said. “No doubt we may see a similar thing happen with the rotavirus vaccine when it becomes available.”
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