Shots for a Teen or Younger

Updated on July 23, 2010
S.D. asks from Peoria, AZ
24 answers

HPV Shot....for cervical cancer.... I was appauled that some sites suggested this was neccessary at 11yrs of age to 16 yrs of age. What is the opinion of this for all of you ? We are trying to raise our children in a Christian Enviroment. I hope to raise them to make a good decision outside our home. I understand this is the TYPE of Cervical Cancer that can be caught during intercourse. So therefore, why are the doctors suggesting 11 yrs old along with this menegitis shot and DTAP shot. I am so nervous about this subject ....... what is your thoughts. Did you have your teen get it ? Why ? What were the side effects ?

Thanks in advance.

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L.K.

answers from Austin on

The gardasil shot for HPV has causes more deaths than any other vaccine. It has caused 66 deaths in 4 years. That is about one per month. The reason the CDC has not removed it from the market is because it is a huge money maker. I have 3 daughters and none of them will be getting this shot. Also, just because you get the shot does not mean you are protected. The vaccine only protects aganist about some types of HPV but not all of them.

Lisa

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G.A.

answers from Phoenix on

My girls will not get the HPV shot.
I am ok with the meningitis shot as there is a high chance for death with those that get this disease. (have seen no side effects)
DTAP is the tetanus shot. (have seen no side effects)

Hope this helps.

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T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

This shot is ridiculous! And, the side effects are appalling. This only covers a few strains of HPV, and there are MANY strains possible. No, I will not be giving this shot to any of my daughters.
From http://www.vaclib.org/news/2006/gardasil.htm:

Important Facts:
Most women do not experience any symptoms from contact with human papillomavirus. Immunity is natural and it's believed that the immune system clears the virus quickly.
Risk Factors:

"Diet: Women with diets low in fruits and vegetables may be at increased risk for cervical cancer. Also overweight women are more likely to develop this cancer." Source: www.cancer.org
Use of oral contraceptives.
Smoking.
Other exposure to toxic compounds in the food, air and water. We expect that the vaccine itself will be a contributor to cancer.

And from VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System-where doctors report adverse effects to vaccines, which by the way is estimated to only be about 10% of actual events):

VAERS reports
April 24, 2009
Using http://www.medalerts.org/ search for HPV4 (Merck's gardasil)
Found 11090 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4'
Found 5456 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and ER Visit
Found 184 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Life Threatening
Found 299 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Disabled
Found 34 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Patient Died
Found 70 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'spontaneous abortion'
Found 299 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'fainting'
Found 602 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'seizure'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 6, 2008
VAERS
Found 23 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Patient Died
Found 57 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'spontaneous abortion'
Found 126 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Life Threatening
Found 201 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Disabled
Found 219 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'fainting'
Found 413 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Symptoms contain 'seizure'
Found 333 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Hospitalized
Found 4171 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and ER Visit
Found 4081 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Recovered
Found 8225 events with Vaccine is 'HPV4'

Found 15 events with Age from '9' to '21' and Vaccine is 'HPV4' and Patient Died
VAERS ID AGE Days to death
VAERS ID 275428 12.0 7
VAERS ID 275438 19.0 14
VAERS ID 278865 15.0 14
VAERS ID 280163 11.0 ?
VAERS ID 291804 17.0 67
VAERS ID 293388 18.0 151
VAERS ID 297528 12.0 21
VAERS ID 305606 17.0 2
VAERS ID 309233 12.0 63
VAERS ID 310262 20.0 4
VAERS ID 316983 17.0 ?
VAERS ID 317757 15.0 2
VAERS ID 319533 21.0 17
VAERS ID 319810 14.0 14
VAERS ID 320909 21.0 ?

While you're at it, you might want to research other vaccines. Did you know that many are made using aborted fetal cell lines? Research so you can make your informed consent. The doctors won't tell you these things, most don't even know, but it's all in the package insert that comes with the vaccines (not the sheet of paper they show you). Google vaccines and aborted fetal cell lines. Be informed.

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G.B.

answers from Boise on

Those that condone the taking of the vaccine have absolutely no clue about it and have not done a stitch of research. They blindly follow the common public opinion of the day, which they don't realize is shaped by think tanks at universities!! These universities are funded by organizations with socialist/globalist agendas. Agendas that include mass population control. These universities are also where much of the control studies are done on the affects of vitamins/vaccines/etc. If you've everdone statistical process control you know how easy it is to skew chart and graph data to look like any thing you want it to.

It is NO SECRET , to those who do research anyway, that there has been additives in vaccines that cause sterilization of women. While doing vitamin D research of all things, I had uncovered all sorts of links, between the Rockafeller Foundation and it's largest donations to businesses and institutions that do GENE THERAPY , IE : cloning and de-population control. It is all there in black and white for those who wish to take a few days of reading to follow the trails and connect the dots.

If you think vaccines are scary, you don't even know the half of it. Many of the vitamins that are hearalded today to take in mass quanity (and already added to your food ) contribute to early death and disease. I've reasearched them for 10 years. I know.

The illuminati is at the center of de-population. For a real eye opener look them up and read, read ,read. Also look up the Georgia Guidestones.

Then thank the Lord that you took a moment to ask a few questions.

http://www.whale.to/m/sterile.html

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

My 15 1/2 yr old is educated on the pros and cons of sex, STD's, having babies, what boys want, etc...

I am not naive enough to think she will wait about sex, what I have done is manage to have wide open lines of communication from day 1 with her. Nothing is off base as far as communication. Some people would cringe at things we have discussed....sex details, what it feels like, what types of birth control and why, why p****** p**** look the way they do, does sex hurt, etc, I can go on.

She will NOT be getting this vaccine due to the side effects I have read about on numerous resources. Part of this decision is hers as well because it is HER body. We choose to not to have this vaccine due to not having enough information to make an informed choice. All information I have found is negative and I am not willing to put my daughter at risk.

Everyone has to do what is right for their own family.

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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

S., As you can tell just from your few responses there are people who feel very strongly, one way or another about this shot. You can do your research, and you should, read everything not just the info from the docs and drug companies. And to get objective info when you Google it, don't just Google 'HPV shot' or 'Gardasil' but Google "risks and dangers of . . . "

I never saw this as the 'sex shot' or the cervical cancer shot. It was just something that just didn't seem right to me when I first started hearing about it 5 years ago. The short version is that I chose NOT to vaccinate my daughter 4 years ago when it first came out and still refuse it. Mostly because when our then doctor got so nasty when I refused it (politely) when it had just been approved for 2 months at the time (and my daughter was 11) I left there on a mission to find out as much as I could.
I am a registered nurse and have worked in the pharmaceutical system. While I am NOT saying this is a routine practice, I have witnessed manipulation of data and it certainly made me question more!

First, in MY OPINION and from MY RESEARCH (that's my legal disclaimer) it is NOT a cancer prevention shot. Far from it! Actually (I can't remember the source off the top of my head but if you want it I'll get it) there is some evidence that getting this shot may actually increase the risk of pre-cancerous cervical lesions by 44%! *My hard-copy paper file on this subject is a full 8 inches thick!

I do agree with the poster about doing routine HPV tests but they should be doing that anyway and actually BEFORE they even give these shots to the little girls (and boys now). If your child has ever had a wart on their hand or a planters wart, that is a strain of HPV. Yes, most of the world's populations has already been exposed to HPV, but most of us with healthy immune systems are able to get over the virus. Even a doctor with the CDC has gone on record and stated that the greatest risk factor of developing cervical cancer is not getting pap smears! Didn't mention HPV.
And speaking of pap smears the cervical cancer rate has decreased almost 75% just since the institution of routine pap smears. Beyond not getting routine paps the other big risk factors are 1)smoking 2)multiple sex partners 3) poor nutrition and immunity and 4) the presence of another type of sexual transmitted disease.

In my research along the way I came across the transcript of the congressional hearings over the whole Vioxx scandal. Merck was also the maker of Vioxx and was found to have knowingly and willingly hide damaging data as to the risk of the drug to get it on the market.
What's that saying, 'fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

As I said in the beginning S., you will get many responses on both side of the fence. I hope that we can all control ourselves and not be nasty because we chose one side or the other! We all make the best decisions for our family with the information we are given.
I do have a TON of resources if you want to message me privately for any more info.

Good for you for at least asking questions. We should all be proactive and not just blindly believe what we are told. By anyone about anything!

In good health,

Updated

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C.C.

answers from Fresno on

My daughters are 5 and 7, but I will absolutely get them the HPV shot when they turn 11. Here's the thing. Kids make bad decisions whether you are Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, or Agnostic. Are you willing to gamble your daughter's life on the fact that she'll never make an error in judgment? It is appalling to me as well that kids are having sex at younger and younger ages. I sure hope that my girls will have the good judgment to wait until they are adults, but I will not withhold a vaccine that could save their lives just to prove to myself that I'm a good mother who raised them right. It's not about my ego as a mom, it's about my daughters' health.

Also consider that you do not have to go into great detail what the shot is for at the time your daughter gets the shot. In no way are you condoning anything by ensuring that she is vaccinated. This shot PREVENTS CANCER - how could that be a bad thing??

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A.B.

answers from Atlanta on

Just give it now. Chances are she will have intercourse long before she tells you about it. Mothers are sometimes the last to know. Protect her before it's too late.

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C.G.

answers from Davenport on

I am usually the first one to respond to any vaccination questions- I am a full supporter of vaccines. But, I am a little unsure about this one. The reason it has to be giving at such a young age is because it will not be effective if she has already been exposed. They are assuming that most children at age 11 are not sexually active. It does protect against certain HPV strains that can lead to genital warts and cancer. Titer testing shows that this vaccine can prevent these strains that cause up to 70% of cervical cancers. But, the truth is that it hasn't been out long enough for actual proof that it works. Even the CDC states that the vaccine looks promising. Basically, until these children grow-up and we see actual numbers...we won't know if it really works. It was actually only studied in women ages 16 to 26, but it is assumed by "the medical professionals?" that it will also be safe in ages 9 to 15. There has not been enough studies done in males to make the same "medical professionals" believe it is safe for boys yet.

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M.G.

answers from Seattle on

I would honestly recommend you do some serious research on the HPV vaccine. There have been some studies done but don't just trust what doctors will tell you about it. Here are a few links to get you started: http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine-young-wome... http://www.gardasil.com/ http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Prevention/H.... You can never be too prepared or know too much about what we are putting into our children. I wish you the best. Vaccines are made to help protect against or perhaps lessen the effects thereof, however not necessarily prevent from getting the ailment for which they are made. Please learn all you can.

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B.M.

answers from Chicago on

Well, here's the thing. You can think about this as a 'sex shot' but really that's not what it is. It's a CANCER PREVENTION shot. And it's not just intercourse - any genital touching can pass the infection.

I have an almost 10 year old daughter. I will most likely get her the shot BEFORE it is a discussion about sex. It will be a discussion about HEALTH because "we don't want to be sick because someone ELSE made a bad choice or got sick without knowing it".
I also believe I will request the Gardasil shot, as it is the one that prevents warts as well as cancer.

Do some research. See what you think.

Currently 20 million women have tested positive for HPV at some point. 6 million more will become newly infected each year. They estimate that by the time you are 50 years old 80% of the us population will have been infected with HPV at some point in their life. Most will infect others without even ever knowing they were infected.
In addition to the genitals, HPV can also infect the mouth and throat. HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom.

My thoughts are this: If you are NOT going to vaccinate your daughter then she needs to be screened for HPV each year beginning she starts to experiment with "touching" NOT WHEN SHE BEGINS TO HAVE INTERCOURSE.
Those are 2 different things and BOTH can result in an HPV infection that your child will pass on to the next person they are with that could, ultimately, lead to cancer and potentially, death.
Currently you can't screen a male, except that if he is with a female who has tested positive then you can be reasonably sure the male is positive as well.
You may think you are teaching your child values, but kids experiment. You don't know who they are experimenting with. Kids think by not having INTERCOURSE it is safe to experiment. It's not.

I do not want my daughter to get cancer. So I will protect my child. Given that 80% of the people around my daughter will at some point become infected I think the risks of the vaccine are probably well worth the benefit not getting cervical cancer.

Just my 2 cents.
Good luck with your decision!

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

STD's aren't just transmitted via sex. They're in our blood, skin, saliva. Some are harder to catch than others. HPVs are fairly easy ones to catch (unlike HIV which is difficult). Genital warts and herpes can both be transmitted just by sharing a beach towel. Kissing will also transfer them. Genital Warts is a different strain of HPV than the kind that causes cancer... but it's the same family. It's still nowhere near as easy to catch as a cold or flu... or skin disease... because they're not airborn and have a different vector... but it's possible.

The reasoning behind getting immunized so young in PART is that by 6th grade, most kids are getting more independent. Their parents aren't keeping an eye on them all the time, reminding them to wash hands, not to share towels, do this, don't do that, do this... because they are far more capable. But they don't wash their hands, do share food & clothing, go on sleepovers and share bedding (the sheets, towels, etc., of people who may be positive for HPV.) They are ALSO entering middleschools and highschools, and while a minority of 11 year olds are dating, a majority of 13/14 year olds are dating, and a minority of those 13/14 year olds are having sex. Docs want the MAJORITY of people protected. So that means jumping back a few years before even a minority of people start having sex. I wouldn't be surprised if they would prefer having 8yo's immunized. But there isn't an 8yo immunization. There IS the 10/11 year old DTAP. So squish HPV in there at that age... when they're more independent but aren't dating yet... AND parents are already bringing them in.

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M.!.

answers from Phoenix on

Last year when my daughter turned 11 I discussed this with her doctor as well as doing my own research on the subject. I think the shot is too new to be giving to children who are still developing, especially if the child is not sexually active. In doing my research I found that there was concerns raised about the safety of giving Gardasil and Menactra together. I did let her get the Menactra, but decided that we would wait until she was older and the HPV vaccine had been around longer before we got that one.

I agree with you about raising our children to make good decisions, and I hope that they do. But, as they get closer to the age where they may decide to become sexually active, I would rather them be safe. My plan is to make sure my children have ALL the information necessary to make the right choices. Working in the medical field I have learned that it's not enough to tell them not too, we need to tell them how to protect them selves if they decide to. For instance, when I was growing up condoms were birth control, now with HIV, they are life savers. Most sexually transmitted diseases have little to no symptoms for males, but can leave women sterile. This is the kind of information we need to provide to our children and unfortunately they needed it much younger then we did. Kids are experimenting with sex in grade school ( in all parts of the country)! I watched an HBO documentary called "Middle School Confessions" and it was frightening! It was children ages 10-13, 6th - 8th grade talking about drinking and sex, like it was no big deal. I used to think that have the sex talk with my children would mean we talked about intercourse, but you have to educate them on ALL of it. If you don't someone else will. If you get a chance to watch the show, I recommend it.
One last thing: Cervical cancer is highly treatable if found early. The key to early detection is annual Pap smears and HPV testing. If you and your daughter decide against getting the shot, she will still have options.
Bottom line is do your research and be informed. Best of luck to you with whatever you decide.

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Y.C.

answers from New York on

If it is true that I would do anything to keep my kids safe and healthy, even if that means that would have to be open to the possibility that my kid have sex as a teen (knock in the wood!).
But this vaccine is relatively new, and there is not enough time to see the long term side effects.
I have done some search and I found some negative feedbacks, with that say, we will be waiting until further research.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

If you read up on it , they are suggesting girls get the shot at a younger age because they are given in a series of seperate shots rather than 1 shot and your done with , so to make sure you can get all the shots done , and for them to be active in your system by the time girls become sexually active , they advise to give the shots between the ages of 11-16 , they are not suggesting that girls this young are having sex. Also the shots protect against STD's such as genital warts , that CAN cause cervial cancer if left untreated , you cannot catch cervical cancer by having sex.

I'm not sure of my opinion on the shots to be honest , my kids are still very young and I have not even thought that far ahead yet and them being sexually active , it seems like I only gave birth to them 5 mins ago! , I suppose I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

My girls had their appts last week. They got the meningitis shot and the dtap. I currently passed on the Gardia shot. I am still out on that one. But will get as much info as possible to pass to my girls. I want to let them make an informed decision when they are 14 or 15. The doc mentioned that if we can prevent a common cancer from happening, why not. But I think that is something they should be able to decide themselves. The shot is recommended fopr 11 to 24 yrs of age so they do have time to get it. They have also started to consider the shot for boys since they can pass on the virus.

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L.D.

answers from Albany on

This is one time I think I am thankful I have all boys. I honestly don't know which way I would go on this shot if I had a daughter. Here's my concerns though: You can raise her to be a good Christian all you want. In the end, she will make her own decisions though. Whether you really know the decision she makes or not will be questionable.

My best friend is an NP in women's health though and she has gone through training and worked with people affected by HIV and AIDS amongst other STDS. She swears by vaccines. The statistics she learned were that children as young as 10 were having sex of some kind and this was YEARS ago. You would be shocked if I told you some of the things she learned. <sigh> As an NP, she has had pregnant patients as young as 11!!

There have also been numerous articles about how HPV can cause more than just cervical cancer and sterilization. It can also be transferred through oral sex so there have been stories of people having mouth and throat cancer because of it.

Sadly, we can debate this issue right now all we want, but once the new healthcare actually goes through, we may not have a choice. From my understanding, mandatory vaccination made it in the bill. I vaccinate but I do leave out SOME things so I am very upset at the thought of not having that option anymore. :(

T.N.

answers from Albany on

Read Denise T.'s 'Delayed Vaccine Help' from a few hours ago, a lot of thoughts there on the same subject.

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C.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I think you need to seprate your thoughts about this shot and sex...it's only linked by so many people because the girls need to get it before they have intercourse or they can't get it at all. If you think you should wait until later because of your values then wait...but base it on weather you think they should get the shot because of what it prevents and or not get it because of the side effects...don't let the "intercourse factor" be a part of your decision because that isn't a go ahead for your child to have sex and they won't really need to know that part of it unless there is a real possiblity if they should decide to get it, that they may have had sex. Good luck with your decision...we havn't decided yet if our daughter will get it or not, think I may wait and see how it fairs on side effects etc for a couple more years.

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J.J.

answers from Phoenix on

Yes, my daughter did get the Gardasil vaccine. Why? To protect her from cancer. The flu shot doesn't protect for all strains, yet most of us want to be protected. The same is true for this vaccine. Getting this vaccine is not a "green light" to have sex, it is to protect them from cancer in the future. This vaccine needs to be administered before they have intercourse. A Cristian friend of mine found out her 15 year old son had sex at the girlfriends house - while the parents were home and asleep. It does happen to the best of parents. Side effects? None, she said the flu shot was worse.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

I agree with you on teaching our kids ABSTINENCE! Of course, not all kids will follow that but we as parents need to start doing our part instead of teaching safe sex and giving a shot that they may think will "protect" them.

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

My gynecologist, who is a devout Christian, said he would highly recommend this shot for young women and his own daughter is vaccinated. She is 21. She was vaccinated when she was in high school.

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K.K.

answers from Dallas on

They actually recomend it for boys now. I am still weighing the benefits on this one. I am usually pretty pro vaccine, but not sure what to make out of the side affect claims. If I had a girl I would weigh much more seriously and probably have it done.

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J.M.

answers from Phoenix on

This shot helps prevent 4 of the 8 types of HPV. One of which is genital warts - the one that you can get from intercourse. There are three other types that it helps prevent, cervical cancer is caused by several forms of HPV but is not HPV.

HPV is also naturally causing in the body and everyone carries it - just not all forms. The reason they want to give it so young is because this is the time the girls are mostly like to not have engaged in intercourse - the best time to build an immunity to this virus.

Once the individual has engaged in intercourse it is considered to no longer be effective because of the mixing of the different forms of HPV between the partners. So, teaching absentance really has nothing to do with allowing your child to have the shot or not.

I suggest that you do a lot more research on shot before you decide. (I hope this doesn't sound harsh - really, I mean it as nicely as possible.)

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