Letters to the Editor
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how about this...
instead of citing data from a group with a political agenda - and who continue to tout the completely debunked myth that vaccines cause autism - why not go back to the literature and read the peer-reviewed publications on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines? i have the august 31 issue of Vaccine sitting in front of me, the entire thing is dedicated to HPV vaccines. there is no shortage of data out there.
the vaccine information center states that "only" 1200 girls under 16 were tested. however this is a fairly sizable number for a vaccine trial, and only represents a fraction of the total number of women who were tested with the vaccines (these trials are still going on right now, by the way). and the side effects described are mild and not at all uncommon reactions for any vaccine (do you really think it's that unusual for some people to feel like fainting when they're given a shot?). as far as vaccines go, the HPV inoculations have thus far proven to be as safe or safer as any other vaccine currently on the market.
that being said, i do agree that we should wait until more people have been vaccinated before mandating it. side effects from medications can take many years to develop, and what is seen as a rare event in a few thousand people can suddenly become fairly common when given to millions. but i suspect that in a few years it will become apparent that this is a safe, effective vaccine that has the potential to all but completely eliminate cervical cancer.