The HPV vaccine seems like a good idea, but isn’t it scary when there are reports of young women experiencing severe side effects? If you’re older, is it generally safe because of your age? It seems like the COVID vaccine causes more side effects in older people, though…

Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well. Everything has its pros and cons. I completely understand why you’re worried. Even if other people don’t experience side effects, you may feel that you could be the one who does. So if you’re concerned, I don’t think you need to force yourself to get vaccinated. It is possible for side effects to happen to you alone by chance. That said, unless you’re extremely worried, a quick search will show that serious side effects are considered extremely rare. Serious adverse reactions include anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), Guillain-Barré syndrome (nerve damage affecting the arms and legs), and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (headaches, reduced consciousness, and neurological disorders). These are said to occur approximately once per 1 to 4 million vaccinations. There is also complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which involves persistent pain in the body. Of the 8.2 million vaccinations administered so far, three cases of CRPS have reportedly occurred. CRPS is not thought to be caused by the vaccine ingredients themselves. Rather, it is believed to be triggered by stimuli such as trauma, fractures, or an injection needle. Since the vaccine is administered intramuscularly, the stronger pain compared with a subcutaneous injection may be one contributing factor. The rate of adverse reactions judged to be serious for the cervical cancer vaccine is higher than that for influenza, the DTaP-IPV combination vaccine, and the inactivated polio vaccine. Compared with the Hib, pediatric pneumococcal, and Japanese encephalitis vaccines, however, it is about the same or only slightly higher. Apparently, no country in Europe or the United States has discontinued the cervical cancer vaccine because of its side effects.

I’m Kazu, a male member. There have also been claims that those reports weren’t actually side effects, and I tend to trust that view, so I wasn’t particularly worried. When a large number of people receive something, reports like that are bound to emerge. I don’t think you can necessarily say that those incidents were caused by the vaccine. The same goes for the COVID vaccine. If you’re afraid of anaphylaxis, you’ll end up unable to take any medication at all. I’m not a doctor, so this is just my layman’s opinion.