Some very brief information on the Cervarix Vaccine.

Particularly for the young lady I was talking to today, who had decided not to have the vaccine.

I had a very interesting conversation today with a young lady, particularly about the adjuvants in the Cervarix vaccine and the properties of the antigen (how the virus is presented in the vaccine).

The Cervarix vaccine contains virus-like particles, which contain structural proteins from the virus, but lack the means to reproduce and so are not infectious. So, to answer the young lady's question, the vaccine does not contain live virus. It contains proteins from the virus that the immune system recognises and produces antibodies against.

However, since injection into deep muscle is not the normal route for a virus to enter your body, the vaccine manufacturers have to add something, called an "adjuvant," to help stimulate the immune system to respond and produce antibodies. The adjuvant in Cervarix is aluminium hydroxide.

The best way for anyone to decided whether they are going to take a vaccine, is to gather as much information as possible for themselves. In this way they can make an informed decision.