No adverse effects from Bhola HPV vaccination: Health DG

In response to growing misinformation over human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Bhola, health officials have clarified that no adverse effects have been reported from the vaccine.

At a press conference held at his office today (30 October), Professor Mohammad Abu Jafar, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), urged the public to refrain from spreading rumours about the vaccine. 

"The government has launched an HPV vaccination programme aimed at preventing cervical cancer. However, during the vaccination in Bhola, some students fainted due to fear, which has led to various rumours spreading in the community."

Professor Jafar said the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has set a goal to administer the HPV vaccine to 6,212,559 individuals across seven divisions, including 5,862,918 school students. So far, 3,446,618 students have registered. Of them, 1,817,326 female students have received the vaccine.

"To date, over 18 lakh people have been vaccinated. Among them, 271 individuals experienced mild reactions—just 0.14%—indicating an extremely low incidence of side effects. Typically, side effects are considered significant if 4 to 5% of recipients experience them," he added. 

Describing the incident in Bhola, the health DG explained that two students were the first to receive the vaccine. Shortly after, they started feeling a bit unwell and were taken to a room to rest. Seeing this, several other students at the scene fainted, even though five of them hadn't been vaccinated at all. Consequently, this was initially identified as a psychological reaction.

Experts noted that mild symptoms like fever or pain are common after vaccination and are no cause for alarm. In fact, if these symptoms don't appear, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the vaccine has effectively activated in the body.

At the press conference, doctors emphasised that there is no link between the HPV vaccine and infertility. They underscored that the HPV vaccine is both highly effective and safe for preventing cervical cancer. 

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) has thoroughly analysed data and concluded that no connection exists between the HPV vaccine and infertility.

The committee reported that it has examined nine research articles, surveillance programme reports, and epidemiological data to validate the vaccine's effectiveness and quality. 

Studies conducted in Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries have further confirmed that there is no association between the HPV vaccine and serious adverse reactions.