Reports on side-effects of Gardasil still sketchy, says York drug expert

Health News

York University

The US Centers for Disease Control has issued its first report on adverse reactions to Gardasil, reported CBC News July 8. Between June 2006 and April 2008, nearly 8,000 patients who were given the vaccine reported side effects ranging from pain at the injection site to more serious reactions including temporary paralysis. In almost the same period of time, 212 people in Canada reported side effects; most were minor.

“If you see reports based on voluntary systems, you have to remember that they’re really incomplete, that they may reflect the real safety of a drug or a vaccine, or they may be missing really important information,” said Dr. Joel Lexchin, professor in York’s School of Health Policy & Management, Faculty of Health. “The problem is we don’t know.”