Cervical Cancer Vaccines In Thailand

[hill16]

Hi ladies,

I'm posting this in the 'Ladies in Thailand' forum as this is specifically a ladies' issue rather than a general health query. A doctor has recommended that my wife's sister get the Gardasil vaccine? I'm very concerned about this as there appears to be numerous horror stories on the internet about it. Do any of the ladies out there have an opinion on it and any information regarding cost, possible health risks, personal experiences.

If you have some info but are not willing to post publicly, please PM me.

Kind regards,

Hill16

[eek]

I hope people are willing to talk about it openly here, as its something im interesting in knowing more about myself.

Bf's daughters are likely to have it, as recommended by the doctor. I did some basic reading up and I also have concerns.

I read that its most effective on young women who have not had intercourse, but, that it can still help even with older ladies.

Would definitely like more information. Hill, your post reminded me to check up on google again. Will do so later when i have more time to sit and read the info. But, its always good to hear directly from people and their own experiences.

[hill16]

I know this is possibly a very private issue to be discussing on an open forum but I don't think discussing the pros and cons is going to embarass anyone. The reason I posted is to try and find out some info on behalf of an in-law, who is Thai.

However, after reading Eek's post and her comment "Bf's daughters are likely to have it, as recommended by the doctor" it is possible that Thai doctors are widely recommending this vaccine even though there are serious concerns about its safety, side effects and even the manner in which it got US FDA approval.

Please, please, please don't be afraid to discuss this. It may not affect you directly but it may affect some of your family or friends in Thailand.

Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Hill16

[redfish44]

Hi hill16,

I can reply on this for you.

I am from Australia, and we got quite excited back in Aus when the doctor in Queensland (originally Scottish) finally developed this after years of slaving away. I think he won a nobel prize or something similar.

It is free for all Aussie girls under 26 years and has been for 2 years now in Australia.

As I am over 26, I decided to pay for it myself (although the health fund paid me back), as I work in dodgy places.

My reasoning for getting it: 3 (I think) needles at a cost of around $#-400 Aussie dollars vs a higher risk of cervical cancer without it - no brainer for me.

I work in dodgy places and who knows, if I got raped, I figured was one less thing the bastards could give me (my reasoning at the time).

Since then of course, many women in Aus have got it.

A recent study in Aus said the incidence of wart viruses this vaccine guards against have halved in the heterosexual population (male and female), and they believe it to be due to the large number of Aussie girls who now have this vaccine, and hence the spread to the hetero boys has also dropped. There was no change in the homosexual rates by the way.

I experienced no side effects what so ever, neither has anyone else I know thats had it.

80% (or more I'm not sure) of cervical cancers begin from paploma wart viruses that this vaccine protects against.

Cervical cancer is particularly vicious and spreads fast. Its the most common and lethal cancer in younger women.

I would definitely recomend guardasil for any female.

[redfish44]

Forgot to add:

Cost of vaccine varied from pharmacy to pharmacy in Aus - from $100 to $175 if I remember, as I did some shopping around first.

[sbk]

My niece had the vaccine last year here in the US and had no side effects either.

However CBS did a report on women and girls suffering side effects from gardasil here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/06/...in4781658.shtml

It appears that the side effects and reactions progressed with each shot, it seems that if there is any kind of reaction after the first shot the dr should not be giving anymore without some serious investigation into the patient's health.

[geriatrickid]

I am happy that the vaccine is avilable in Thailand and hope that those people that will benefit from it will consider using it. Please note that no definitive claims of protection have been made in respect to those that may already have been exposed to the HPV variants covered by the vaccine. There are some things to keep in mind when making a decision to use it ( I only refer to the most obvious, the other aspects should be discussed with your health provider;

1. The reason it is not recommended for females aged less than 9 and more than 26 is that there are no clinical studies to evaluate its effectiveness in those age groups. It might work and it might not work. Bear in mind that the use of the vaccine is recent, so no one knows for sure whether or not booster shots will be necessary over 5 or 10 year intervals for some people.

2. Its not just cervical cancer (neoplasia) that it can help prevent. The clinical trials demonstrated that it was of benefit for Vulvar and vaginal cancers and obviously warts as well.

3. If you are pregnant, everyone errs on the side of caution and says not to vaccinate. The animal studies didn't result in a major warning but I do note there was a slight blip in reported anomalies. As well, you can't ethically test a discretionary drug on pregnant humans, so no one knows for sure what the impact would be. The good news is that the studies indicated that protection was transferred to the fetus in a vaccinated female. Whether it is sufficient or not is another story, but some immunity is better than nothing.

4. Remember that the vaccine doesn't work on everyone. Some of us are different and the immune response just doesn't click. This is why you must never neglect the Pap smear and continue to have one.

5. The most common side effect of the vaccine was headache. However, it is injected into your muscle so it will be tender for a day or so afterwards. (Your arm or thigh.)

6. The vaccine is only effective against 4 types of HPV viruses; 6, 11, 16 & 18. No claims are made in respect to the dangerous HPV 31, 33, 52, 56, 58, and 59 high-risk HPV types. These types are responsible for about 12% of cervical cancer cases and about 30% of other Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia cases. The issue isn't numbers, but rather there are some viruses not protected against, so you still need that PAP test. (Please, please, don't forget about it.It's the biggest fear expressed by some of the researchers - the sense of absolute protection.)

7. Most importantly of all, the vaccine is not intended for treatment of active genital warts; cervical, vulvar,and vaginal cancers .

I consider the vaccine one of the most important vaccines in the last 15 years because of its ability to prevent alot of pain and suffering. If I ever have kids I would vaccinate them without a 2nd thought.

Hope this helps.

[Pai2009]

It cost 8000B for all 3 injections at 0,1,6 months.

I wish I could get this immunization but shame too old for the recommendation!