Ulf. : Hello! Why aren't boys vaccinated too, is it just a cost issue? (Survived tonsillar cancer and paid for my son's vaccination himself).

Ann Lindstrand : We are currently investigating the issue of whether boys should also receive HPV vaccine in the child vaccination program for free. The investigation will be ready this fall. Around 300 men each year suffer from cancer that is linked to the HPV virus and the vaccine is just as effective and safe for boys. We will see what the inquiry says and then what the government decides.


Helena : Hello! I took HPV vaccine but still got cell changes. How common is that? Was it unnecessary to take it?
Ann Lindstrand :
No not unnecessary, but the vaccine includes two viral antigens that cover only 70% of all cervical cancers, so it is important to keep going for cell test checks. Soon a vaccine will cover 9 virus types and then protection will rise to 90%


Anonymous : A midwife told me at my first check (as a 23-year-old) that it was no idea for me to vaccinate because I had had sex with more than three people. It has made me not vaccinated. Is it true?
Ann Lindstrand :
Impossible to know. It depends on the few contacts you have previously had on the specific types of virus that cause cancer. In general, scientific studies have shown that you still have some protection up to the age of 40.


Yalda : Hi, My daughter is 18, is it not late for her to vaccinate with the HVP Vaccine now? Greetings / Yalda
Ann Lindstrand :
No, things are going well and school health care offers HPV vaccination up to the age of 18. The risk is that the protection will not be as good. You get better protection if you are vaccinated earlier in life.


Maria : How long is the vaccine free for girls?
Ann Lindstrand :
To the age of 18


Want to know : Where is the evidence that the vaccine protects against cervical cancer? Can you show this?
Ann Lindstrand :
We have scientific evidence that HPV significantly reduces the precursors to cancer from large studies conducted in Sweden. The precursors are what comes before cancer. You need a longer follow-up because cancer comes decades after being infected by HPV so for the girls who are vaccinated in the program now we have to wait for that time to see the effects.


Pia : If you have had a condyloma and are unvaccinated, do you run a greater or lesser risk of getting cancer?
Ann Lindstrand :
Condyloma is most often caused by virus types 6 and 11 and these are not the types that cause cancer. So depending on age, there may still be reason to vaccinate.


Pia : My daughter 13 years has not been vaccinated yet. Should we wait for the new vaccine that covers more viruses?
Ann Lindstrand :
No, I don't think so. If you wait until later, the vaccine is less effective and that means after 14 years you have to take three syringes instead of two. The 9 valentine vaccine will not enter Sweden within the next year.


Susanne : In my daughter's school, we have not received any information that they should be vaccinated. Can you go to the nearest health center and get the vaccination if they do not plan to be vaccinated at school?
Ann Lindstrand :
I think you should ask student health and schooling in your school. There is a regulation that regulates all schools to offer vaccinations under the national program to children up to the age of 18.


Kenny : Would you say that only ignorant parents choose not to vaccinate their children? Feels like everyone reads adults vaccinating their kids!
Ann Lindstrand : I don't mean to say ignorant parents. Many troubled parents are extremely illiterate, but perhaps not at the sources I would say are credible. I ask the parents to talk to their school nurse and try to get information from several places to form a balanced picture. It is very important that health care takes this concern and doubt seriously. All parents want their child's best.


Anna : About 2 years ago, a documentary was made in Denmark about girls whose lives were completely changed after hpv vaccinations. Also think that Swedish television made documentary with similar problems.Everything indicates that the safety of the vaccine is not to be trusted. What do you think about it?
Ann Lindstrand :
The European Medicines Agency did a very thorough investigation with all available knowledge from all reported cases of adverse reactions recently (read the full report on the Swedish Medicines Agency's website). There it was established that the reported side effects were not associated with the vaccine and in large groups of girls the same symptoms were equally common among unvaccinated girls.


Bibbi : Is the vaccine basically unnecessary to take if you have already been affected by the herpes virus?
Ann Lindstrand :
Herpes virus is a completely different disease caused by another virus.


Andreas Nordahl : What side effects can the vaccine have? SVT writes that there are no "serious" ones. What are the most well-known “fake” side effects that are raised?
Ann Lindstrand :
The vaccine causes more pain to take than other vaccines, you can get sore after redness and swelling a few days after vaccination. Then there is also a certain risk of fever, fatigue and illness. Uncommon vaccine side effects are fainting but it has also been observed before vaccination and may be linked to stress, anxiety, etc. Then there are cases of allergic reactions that can be serious.
The Public Health Authority and the Swedish Medicines Agency are publishing an annual report from the vaccination programs tomorrow where we explain precisely the follow-up of all the diseases included in the program and what side effects occurred. The HPV vaccine reported 54 side effects last year, of which 28 were more serious, all of which can be read in the report. The number of reported side effects of the HPV vaccine has decreased from last year.


Anna Larsson : My daughter 12 years has received the vaccine and has now received two patches of vitiligo .. clutch? Mvh anna
Ann Lindstrand :
Not what I know but if it came up after vaccnation, I think it should be investigated, ie contact the school nurse who can report this to the Swedish Medicines Agency or you can report yourself on the Swedish Medicines Agency's website.