Question
I have four girls, the oldest is 12, so I've read up on the "cancer vaccine" and spoken to my pediatrician at length about it. To share what I understand so far: (but clearly you should do your own research and speak to your own dr)The vaccine protects against one strain of a virus (HPV-that is transmitted by sexual contact) that could lead to cervical cancer. This is a cancer that accounts for a very small percentage of cancers....that having been said however, it is a devestating cancer to the people it does affect. When a vaccine is first put on the market, it's been tested on a relatively small group of people. Once it has been unleashed on the general public, it affects millions, and that's when you really learn about possible side affects. Considering it's still new, we decided to wait. The assumption in giving the vaccine so early (age 12) is that you're trying to catch girls before they are sexually active, and doctors assume that this comes sooner rather than later for many girls, even though parents "don't want to believe it" However, we'll take our chances and wait a bit, which my doctor wholeheartedly agreed with.
