The vaccine is very safe.
Over 10 million doses of the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9, have been given in the US in the past year. Gardasil 9 was studied in more than 13,000 females and males before it was reigstered for use. It is approved for females aged 9 to 45 years and males 9 to 26 years.
The original HPV vaccine (Gardasil) was tested on more than 20,000 females in 33 countries and 4000 males in 18 countries before it was approved for use.
Over 270 million
HPV vaccine doses have been distributed worldwide as of May 2017.
The vaccine's safety is still (and will always be) closely monitored by scientific organisations around the world including the World Health Organization. The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety of the World Health Organization has reviewed all data and declared HPV vaccines safe for use seven times for far.
After you have the vaccine, you will be monitored for 15 minutes to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. If an allergic reaction does occur, it can be treated quickly and successfully.
Some people might have mild side effects when they get the vaccine, such as pain, redness and/or swelling at the site of the injection.
These usually pass quickly.
More severe side effects such as anaphylactic (allergic) reaction are extremely rare. They normally only happen if you're allergic to an ingredient in the vaccine.
For every million doses of the vaccine given, there are only around three allergic reactions.