Vaccinating of HPV May not to be Right Thing to Do

Tammy Harper, 42, now fears that vaccinating her 14-year old daughter against several strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV , may not have been the right thing to do.

Photo: Vaccinating of HPV May not to be Right Thing to Do

Vaccinating of HPV May not to be Right Thing to Do

Harper, from Merrit Island, Fla., is one of many parents gripped by doubt about the safety of Gardasil , the 3-dose vaccine that promises to protect against cancer-causing HPV infections, following media reports this week on government data that called the vaccine's safety into question , ABC News reports.

The new vaccine designed to protect girls and young women from cervical cancer has a safety record that appears to be in line with that of other vaccines, a government report has found. Some serious complications occurred, including at least 20 deaths and two cases of Lou Gehrig’s disease , but they were not necessarily caused by the vaccine, the study said , New York Times reports.

Almost as soon as doctors and their medical organizations began recommending it, however, push-back from consumers started -- with questions about the vaccine's effectiveness plus complaints about the cost, the number of shots required (three) and, oh right, the negative reactions. Some patients say they became dizzy after getting the vaccine; others reported headaches, fever and fainting. The vaccine was even suspected in some seizures and deaths , Los Angeles Times reports.