There are no reported cases to date of major side effects of the HPV vaccines in South Korea

There are no reported cases to date of major side effects of the HPV vaccines in South Korea "I just happened to get to know about this vaccine," said Hwang Soo-jung, a 23-year-old law student in Seoul, ziling who recently got her first two shots of the three recommended doses of Cervarix as part of the campaign organized by a student committee at her school.

"I'm glad I got the shots. But the whole promotion thing made me feel compelled to get them no matter what, as it sort of sounded like I would be neglecting my body if I don't get this certain vaccine. Pretty much black and white," she said.

Skeptics are also voicing caution against big promotional events, which they say might be keeping South Korean women in the dark about potential adverse effects of the HPV vaccines.

The Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society (KPDS), a non- governmental association of pharmacists, is one of the leading critics of the vaccines. It issued a statement last year condemning Merck Sharp & Dohme's South Korean branch for bankrolling what at first glance appeared to be a public service advertisement for Gardasil.

The pharmacists' group remains to date skeptical about the vaccine, whose possibly grave side effects -- from nausea to paralysis and even to death, according to some claims -- have been repeatedly warned of by watchdog groups in the United States, it told Xinhua.

Major news outlets in the U.S. have aired some doubts about these relatively new vaccines, too. Gardasil has been the subject of about 8,000 reports of adverse events over two years, according to one report that cited the data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. federal health agency. But any direct connection between such unfortunate health events and the vaccines has yet to be confirmed, and claims have been dismissed by vaccine makers and some doctors as unsubstantiated. ziling

Many South Korean obstetricians and gynecologists are undaunted by negative buzz about the vaccines.

"There are no reported cases to date of major side effects of the HPV vaccines in South Korea," the KAOG said in a written interview. "We advise people to seek adequate consultation with medical experts."

The association also said it stays positive on the disputed long-term effectiveness of the vaccines, as one mathematical estimate shows antibodies might stay effective for twenty to thirty years after vaccination. No further inoculation is currently required after the three jabs of the HPV vaccines, and more studies will be conducted down the road to prove long-term benefits of the vaccines, it said.

Meanwhile, some girls choose to stay vigilant.

"I'm seriously reconsidering getting the shots. It's just absurd that nobody really warned me of anything bad about the HPV vaccines, when there are actually numerous reports of ailments apparently related to vaccination," said Kang Mi-jin, a 23-year- old soon-to-be college graduate in Seoul, who recently found out about personal accounts of serious adverse effects of Gardasil and Cervarix in other countries.

"The only thing that had stopped me from running to the clinic was the high cost, but I'm now more concerned about side effects. When everybody lauds the HPV vaccines, it's hard to make an informed decision," she said.