Should I worry that my daughther's second HPV vaccine was given a month early at her pediatrician's office?
Q) Dear Dr. Gwenn:
My daughter had her first shot of Gardasil (HPV) and Hepatitis B at her last physical exam. When we went in a month later, the nurse gave my daughter Gardasil by mistake then the Hepatitis B she was supposed to get. The doctor said this was ok but I’m worried because the Gardasil wasn’t due for another month. Is this safe for my daughter's health?
Concerned Mom
A) Dear Concerned Mom:
Don’t panic! The extra Gardasil shot won’t harm your daughter at all. The only sticky point is it won't help her either. These vaccines do have to be given on time to work correctly. So, your daughter's immunity to HepB is fine but her immunity against HPV isn't up to par yet. What I'd suggest is you either start the count fresh from the mistakenly given HPV shot or return next month as you were planning on doing. Better to have that extra shot and make sure there is a series of three HPV shots given correctly than tempt fate!
Timing is everything with vaccines - all vaccines. You are better off being a few days late for all vaccines in the schedule than ever getting one early. This holds true for all ages.
Don't be too upset at the staff about the mistake. They owned up to it - and no harm was done.
Dr. Gwenn
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