Are the HPV vaccines safe?
Gardasil Before it was approved, Gardasil was tested in more than 21,000 girls and women in many countries around the world. There were no deaths due to the vaccine, and almost no serious side effects reported during those trials. The most common side effect was brief soreness at the injection site. The FDA has determined that this vaccine is safe and effective for females aged 9 to 26 years. By May 2009, more than 24 million doses of the vaccine had been distributed in the United States. And more than 40 million doses have been distributed world wide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA monitor the safety of all vaccines used in the United States. As of December 31, 2008, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) had received a total of 12,424 reports of potential side effects following HPV vaccination. (VAERS is a national reporting system that monitors reports of potential side effects following vaccination.) About 6% of those reports were serio
