Experts raise worries about HPV vaccine

From CTV News:
A group of Canadian public health professionals says there remain a number of unanswered questions about the HPV vaccine and that a universal vaccination program in Canada "is premature and could have unintended negative consequences."

Abby Lippman, a professor of epidemiology at McGill University, and colleagues, conducted a review of the current literature on the HPV the vaccine and summarize their conclusions in an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

They found that while it appears that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection with HPV types 16 and 18 (currently thought to be the cause of about 70% of cervical cancer cases), it's still not clear whether reducing such infections will translate into fewer cervical cancer deaths in the long run. ...more