<p>My wife is an oncologist. My D had the vaccine, with no problems other than a complaint that it hurt a bit more than other shots.</p>
<p>My daughter is 14, but she is capable of understanding that this vaccine protects against only a small subset of the illnesses that can result from sexual activity.</p>
<p>The references to “moral hazards” I believe has to do with the fact that if one did not have anything other than monogomous sex, there would be no need for HPV vaccines. That is true. But that isn’t going to happen soon. And even if you or your D waits until marriage for sex, that 25-30 yo husband may not have. Even if he only had 4 partners, if one of his partners had 10, and one of those had 50, etc…you could acquire the virus having had only one partner. And what about a date rape situation, or an outright assault. </p>
<p>Newborns around the county are vaccinated for another STI: Hep B; with their first shot even before they leave the hospital. Hep B is transmitted primarily via needles and sex. Blood transfusions make up only a very small portion of cases. There was little hue and cry over adding the 3 Hep B shots, no “moral hazard” issues raised. Now it is a requirement in many states–including mine. Hep B is required before enrolling in school.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input, I am a firm believer in this vaccination, so am not on the fence about D getting it. We don’t have access to it in the country we’re living in right now, which is why the plane travel question came up. I expect that any adverse reactions will show up in the 5 hours we have before the next flight of our trip. She’ll get the second one in August on our way back. And the third one at Christmas break.</p>
<p>“The references to “moral hazards” I believe has to do with the fact that if one did not have anything other than monogomous sex, there would be no need for HPV vaccines.”</p>
<p>Moral Hazard is an insurance term.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I’m unfamiliar with it - can you explain?</p>
<p>[Moral</a> hazard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard]Moral”>Moral hazard - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>I thought long and hard before commenting on this thread and I registered under a new name before doing so because I have no interest in there being any possibility of “outing” my daughter. Shortly after my daughter received her second round of Gardasil she noticed a small bald patch on her scalp. She was diagnosed with alopecia areata after another bald patch appeared on the back of her head. </p>
<p>Alopecia areata ([Fast</a> Facts Alopecia Areata](<a href=“http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Alopecia_Areata/alopecia_areata_ff.asp]Fast”>Alopecia Areata - Hair loss Causes & Living With It | NIAMS)) is an autoimmune disorder and one has to be genetically predisposed but current thought is that a trigger sets it off. Recent studies have shown a relationship between alopecia and the hep B vaccine as a trigger in some people. </p>
<p>Currently no studies have been done and my daughter’s dermatologist says there is no literature out there indicating any relationship between Gardasil and alopecia. It could just be a coincidence that my daughter developed this condition when she did but I will be interested to see if there are other reports of this during the next few years. </p>
<p>I am not saying to stay away from this vaccine. I am saying that there are small numbers of people who might be affected negatively when getting any vaccine and I believe that my daughter is one of them.</p>
<p>Onceanddone, sorry to hear about your D’s situation. It may be a coincidence, but it may also be a side effect. Please make sure your D’s physician reports it to the CDC. My S had a side effect from a vaccination & I couldn’t find reports about it online … but I know a couple people who had similar experiences. If doctors just blow it off, there will never be any supporting evidence. </p>
<p>I left the decision up to my D, as she was 18 at the time. She wasn’t going to get it, because none of her friends were getting it. Her pediatrician talked to her about it, and D decided to get it. It HURT a lot & she felt under the weather for a day or two. She really did not want to get the 2nd shot, but she did. It hurt less. She also found out that all her friends at school had gotten the shots, which made her feel better about her decision. She just had her last shot the other day, and it hurt less than the other 2. The nurse did ask her if she had fainted with the other shots … apparently, it’s quite common. </p>
<p>As for timing the shots … you can wait between shots … you just can’t get them done earlier than recommended. D had 6 months between shot 1 & shot 2 … I had worried that she might have to get the shot at school (which our insurance would not have covered), but her doctor said it’s not a problem to wait.</p>