Why Choosing to Get Your Child Vaccinated Against HPV Is a Tough Call

Parents certainly need to be told about the known risks—including allergic reactions and fainting—and may be justified in using caution if their daughter previously had a bad reaction (like spiked fevers or seizures) to a different vaccine, Deborah Kotz reports. What's more, all parents need to understand that Gardasil protects against the strains that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, not all. So vaccinated women still need Pap smears for early detection.