More data from Australia on sensitivity to HPV vaccine

doi:10.1136/bmj.b26

Published 9 January 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b26
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b26

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Hypersensitivity to HPV vaccine

More data from Australia on sensitivity to HPV vaccine

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We concur with Kang and colleagues’ report on the schoolbased quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine programmein Victoria and South Australia that documented that IgE mediatedhypersensitivity to the vaccine is rare.¹ However, their caseof a positive skin test result with generalised urticaria afterthe first dose and anaphylaxis after the second is noteworthy.It raises the question of subsequent doses when presumptivehypersensitivity occurs and whether hypersensitivity may bemore common with HPV vaccines.

Ascertainment of immediate hypersensitivity should be optimalin a school based programme. In New South Wales, the largestAustralian state, we estimated the incidence of anaphylaxisin the school programme to be 2.6 per 100 000 doses (95% confidenceinterval 1.1 to 5.2),² which is compatible with that calculablefrom Victoria and South Australia of 0.53 per 100 000 (0.06to 1.9).¹ Similarly, 42 notifications of suspected hypersensitivityfrom the 2007 school programme . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter B McIntyre, director¹, Julia M L Brotherton, medical epidemiologist², Margaret A Burgess, honorary professor³, Andrew S Kemp, professor of paediatric allergy³

¹ National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia, ² Victorian Cervical Cytology Register, PO Box 310, East Melbourne, VIC 8002, Australia, ³ University of Sydney and Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Westmead, Sydney

peterm@chw.edu.au

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