The debate about whether or not to give your children vaccinations has been ongoing for many years. Some of my close friends, for example, have chosen not to vaccinate their children, refusing things such as the vitamin K injection given to babies at birth or the winter flu spray for fear or question about their effectiveness and/or safety.
I for one, have always opted to take the vaccines offered. Having given Erin her preschool immunisations around 3 months ago, the next set of injections she is due are now when she is 12 years old – the HPV Vaccine. I watched with frustration Melinda Messenger appear on This Morning this week, debating on the safety and risks of this cervical cancer preventing vaccine. She advised that she is unsure whether she will let her daughter’s have it, as she has concerns over case studies and side effects. Dr Chris Steele was NOT impressed at her voicing these concerns on air, as there was no proven link between the vaccine and the side effects she listed. She has since been labelled as irresponsible for scaremongering viewers on national TV, before being fully aware of the facts.
I, for one, will definitely be giving my daughter’s the vaccine. Anything, in my eyes, that can prevent cervical cancer has to be a positive. I have also heard my own Gynolocologist state that she has given it to her own daughters, which is enough reassurance for me!
I have had regular smears since the age of 18, before the age of your first smear was increased to 25. I had a CIN3 cervical smear result back in 2007. I had no other symptoms that something was wrong, no pain, no bleeding, nothing. Yet my smears went from clear to CIN3 in a small 3 year window. I was tested for HPV at the time, and was found to have one of the two ‘risk’ strains of HPV, meaning that I now have a low threshold for intervention, with any cell changes requiring me to have medical intervention such as a cone or loop biopsy. Had I had the option in my teenage years, a simple vaccine would have prevented my body from contracting this strain of HPV, and my chances of contracting cervical cancer would have been significantly reduced as a result. I now pay for private smears every 12 months, as for me, this is a small price to pay for peace of mind and early intervention if required.
So when the time comes for Erin, unless she has any strong and justified objections, she will be having the vaccine. She will also be going for regular smears without exception. I read today about a 34 year old woman who recently lost her life because she was ‘too embarrassed’ to go for a smear. This amazes me. You’ve given birth… you’ve had a baby come out of your body and possibly even pooped in public in the process yet you are too embarrassed to have a 2 minute procedure that could save your life? I am shocked that this kind of embarrassment still costs lives in 2016!
If you are due a smear and you haven’t booked it, please please please pick up the phone and book your appointment. Without the vaccine, regular smears are the only way we can keep a close check on our cervical health.
Will you be letting your daughters have the vaccine??
Lucy x
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