ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The head of University of Rochester Medical Center's infectious disease unit is standing by Gardasil and the vaccine's ability to protect young women against cervical cancer.

Doctor John Treanor's reaction comes in the wake of growing concern over the vaccine's safety.

Drugmaker Merck and Co. was recently named in two lawsuits.
Teenage girls from Oklahoma and Nevada both allege that the Gardasil vaccine caused paralysis.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also received reports of 15 deaths following vaccinations.

After investigating, the CDC said it could not establish a link.
Doctor Treanor said the number of people reporting problems is comparable to the number of people who would have experienced them anyway given the large number of young women who've been vaccinated.

"There is no compelling evidence that there is any link between Gardasil and any of the neurologic things that have been reported in people who receive it. What we do know is that girls in this age group are at very high risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer and that the vaccine is extremely effective at preventing that," Dr. Treanor said.

According to the CDC more than 12 million doses of Gardasil have been administered in the U.S. since in was approved a little more than two years ago.

Much of the research that led to the development of the vaccine started in Rochester at URMC more than 20 years ago.