Gardasil is the brand name of a vaccination for genital cancers and genital warts caused by human papilloma viruses, or HPV. As with every vaccination, Gardasil may cause negative side effects. The prescribing information for Gardasil lists negative side effects reported during testing prior to the licensing of the vaccine in 2006. Since then, health agencies have continued to monitor the safety of the vaccine and to publish information about the dangers of Gardasil.
Syncope
Syncope, or fainting, may occur after any vaccination. The prescribing information for Gardasil confirms reports of fainting during the trials for the vaccine. Some of those affected experienced seizures, with alternation between full body rigidity and jerking movements, referred to as tonic-clonic movements. A 2009 summary by Dr. Barbara A. Slade and colleagues published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" notes that syncope is the most commonly reported adverse event following immunization and that people have sustained injuries due to falls after fainting. Injuries include skull and nose fractures, concussions, intracranial hemorrhages and dental injuries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that adolescents are particularly susceptible to fainting after receiving vaccinations.
After administration of a Gardasil vaccination, health officials should keep the person under observation for 15 minutes. In the case of fainting accompanied by tonic-clonic movements, health officials should have the patient lie down on a flat surface or on a tilted surface, with her head lower than her legs.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, is a rare neurological disorder that has occurred in a small number of people following vaccination with Gardasil. The symptoms of this potentially fatal syndrome include weakness and loss of sensation. The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals explains that the weakness usually begins in the legs and moves up to the arms. This is fatal in less than 2 percent of cases. Dr. Slade mentions reports of 42 cases of GBS following vaccination with Gardasil. The incidence of GBS in teens is normally between 1 and 2 in every 100,000 cases, notes the CDC, and no evidence exists to indicate a higher incidence among those vaccinated with Gardasil.
Anaphylactic Reaction
Anaphylactic reactions are severe allergic reactions to a substance, and both the manufacturer's prescribing information and Dr. Slade's summary mention reports of these reactions after Gardasil vaccination. These allergic reactions appear suddenly, often within 15 minutes, and they can cause widespread symptoms throughout the body, notes the Merck Manual. In some cases the symptoms worsen so quickly that collapse, seizures and loss of consciousness may occur. Anaphylactic reactions can be fatal.
References
- Merck: Gardasil Prescribing Information
- "Journal of the American Medical Association": Postlicensure Safety Surveillance for Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine; Barbara A. Slade, M.D., et al.; 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Reports of Health Concerns Following HPV Vaccination
- Merck Manual: Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- Merck Manual: Anaphylactic Reactions
