Gardasil Linked to Nerve Disorder

Girls and women who receive the Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer may be at increased risk of a rare but serious disorder of the nervous system in the first few weeks after getting their shots. Overall, the vaccine does not raise the odds of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder of the peripheral nervous system, but there is clear evidence from the database of an increased incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome in the first six weeks, especially the first two weeks, after vaccination. Still, the risk is extremely low: 26 in 10 million in the first two weeks and 30 in 10 million in the first six weeks after vaccination. That compares to 5 in 10 million odds in the general population. Web MD