The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said human papillomavirus vaccine shows no risk of causing mental retardation in innoculated children.

Republican presidential candidate Congresswoman Michele Bachman was quoted by the Associated Press on Sept. 13 saying she spoke with a mother after a debate the day before who claimed her daughter developed mental retardation from the HPV vaccine.

“There is no data — none — that supports that assertion,” said Jeffrey Dimond, public affairs specialist at the CDC.

HPV is a virus that causes genital warts in humans. It is sexually transmitted and causes about 16,000 cases of cervical cancer each year. It also leads to about 4,000 deaths annually.

Dimond said any problem with a vaccine is reported through a program called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Searching what Dimond called an empty bucket for reports about the HPV vaccine causing cognitive impairment yielded four results he described as anecdotal and non-specific. Dimond provided the four case studies submitted by people identifying themselves anonymously as physicians or parents. Attempts to identify patients were unsuccessful. All four reports deal with a HPV vaccine giving a patient autism.

Dimond said the reports likely are reflecting incorrect information distributed from the now completely discredited Wakefield Report. That was a study performed in the UK linking vaccines with autism. Further studies showed no evidence of this, and the author of the study, Andrew Wakefield, lost his medical license.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website — www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/default.htm — modern vaccines are the safest ever. Vaccines, as with all products regulated by FDA, undergo a rigorous review of laboratory and clinical data to ensure the safety, efficacy, purity and potency of these products. Vaccines approved for marketing may also be required to undergo additional studies to further evaluate the vaccine and often to address specific questions about the vaccine’s safety, effectiveness or possible side effects.

Dimond said the CDC is fielding more calls about HPV vaccine but has not changed recommendations. It also recommends HPV vaccine for boys as it blocks genital warts and prevents transmission of the disease to women.

“Ideally, we’d like to see girls vaccinated before they become sexually active,” Dimond said. “The most robust immune response we see happens after a series of about three shots. It usually causes just some redness around the injection site.”

Dr. Amanda Wagner, an OB/Gyn at Lourdes hospital in Paducah, said all drugs, including over-the-counter painkillers, have some risk, but called the risk of severe adverse effects of any vaccine statistically low, perhaps 1-in-1 million.

Wagner said she recommends the vaccine for all patients ages 9 through 26. She offers the shot at her practice and reports no problems with cognitive development in girls receiving the shot.

“Before sexual activity, parents should talk to their daughters about it. I think it’s the sexual activity that’s given the shot the negative media aspect it has. The shot is a fabulous idea. Parents are leery because we’re talking about young girls. It’s important we don’t stick our heads in the sand when it comes to a vaccine that prevents HPV, which causes cervical cancer,” Wagner said.

“I don’t have children, but if I did, they would have all their vaccinations.”