HPV vaccine also has a downside

China has approved a new HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine that combats nine strains of the virus, the leading cause of cervical cancer, which after breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged 15 to 44 in China.

Despite a clear ban on drug advertisements in China, wall posters informing the people about the vaccine have appeared in many neighborhoods in Beijing. And many clinics have said they are out of stock of the vaccine.

It seems almost everyone has welcomed the long-overdue approval for the new vaccine. With waves of media headlines heralding it as the ultimate weapon in the fight against HPV infection and thus cervical cancer.