1. Home>
2. Specialties>
3. Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine>
4. News in Context

The Sting of the HPV Vaccine

More reports of fainting and pain with Gardasil than with other routine vaccines

The first human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, was licensed for use in 2006 and is approved by the FDA for use in girls and women aged 9 to 26 years. According to the Associated Press, this vaccine is gaining a reputation as being more painful than other routine immunizations. Merck & Co. acknowledge that premarketing studies indicated more reports of pain with Gardasil shots as compared with placebo shots. The company attributes the pain to viruslike particles in Gardasil. Reports to the CDC about vaccine-associated fainting also have increased since Gardasil entered the market, from 50 reports between 2002 and 2004 to 230 reports between 2005 and July 2007 (180 following Gardasil administration).

Comment: More pain and fainting may be associated with Gardasil. The increase in fainting may be secondary to the vaccine itself or simply related to the increase in the number of injections now being given to adolescents. A second HPV vaccine is under review by the FDA, but we will need to wait for postmarketing data to determine whether it too is associated with similar side effects. Having teens recline while they receive Gardasil injections and for a few minutes afterward seems prudent. For those with complaints of troublesome pain after the first injection, a dose of ibuprofen might alleviate the discomfort for the remaining injections in the series. We should continue to follow AAP recommendations for use of HPV vaccines as part of the teen platform.

— Peggy Sue Weintrub, MD

Published in Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine January 16, 2008

Citation(s):

Stobbe M. Ouch! Cervical cancer shots painful. Associated Press. Jan 4 , 2008. (http://tinyurl.com/2r5mde)