HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. A press release published last June on the official FDA web site states that about 6.2 million Americans become infected with genital HPV each year, and over half of all sexually active women and men become infected with HPV at sometime in their lives.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states:
Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.
A vaccine is now available called Gardasil, manufactured by Merck which is designed to immunize against certain sexually transmitted diseases, such as cervical cancer and genital warts, which are caused by HPV. It’s the only HPV vaccine currently on the market, with a second vaccine, Cervarix, currently in clinical trials. According to Harvard Medical center, Gardasil, protects against 4 HPV types which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts.
Merck was funding efforts to pass state laws that would require girls as young as 11 to be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted cervical-cancer virus, but recently suspended its lobbying campaign because of pressure from parents and medical groups. Some conservative groups argued that this requirement would encourage premarital sex and interfere with parents’ rights.[my emphasis]
Merck has funneled money to Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country, and a top official from Merck’s vaccine division sits on Women in Government’s business council.
Texas Governor Rick Perry recently made his state the first in the union to mandate that all girls entering sixth grade receive the HPV vaccine. At least 18 states are debating whether or not to make Merck’s vaccine Gardasil mandatory for schoolgirls. Many of these bills have been introduced by members of Women in Government.
Instinctively, I want to encourage my daughter, who is a young adult, to have this vaccination since HPV is so prevalent in our society and those infected are growing in numbers rapidly. But, concerning 11-year-old schoolgirls the question is, should this vaccine be government mandated, or should the decision be left up to the parents?
Here is a recent CNN segment concerning this controversy.
4 comments:
Stardust asked: But, concerning 11-year-old schoolgirls the question is, should this vaccine be government mandated, or should the decision be left up to the parents?
I think that's a bit of a no-brainer actually. It should be mandated. Would it be OK to let parents decide on whether their children were vaccinated against other diseases? If a simple vaccine can potentially save lives I say go for it.
Rather strangely the word verification was ubaqvd. "You back VD". Spooky.....!
cyberkitten, that IS spooky!
After ongoing discussion where I have this cross-posted at GifS, I am leaning to the side of mandating the vaccine. Like I said, I encourage my grown daughter to get the vaccine, and if she was 11 I would take her to the doctor to have it voluntarily because I would want to protect her against cervical cancer just like any other dreadful disease.
But lots of parents won't, just as someone at GifS pointed out the resistance to Polio vaccines, mumps vaccines etc.that many people had when they first came out. They had to be mandated to control disease. This isn't a mere flu shot, it's protection against something that could be life-threatening.
One thing I would like to know is why the vaccine isn't available for males. As another person pointed out, there is a higher risk of penile cancers in males who contract HPV, and since HPV is practically symptomless in males, they are spreading the disease without even knowing it.
Also, I don't know how fundies can think that this is going to make their girls run around like whores when there are many, many STDs people can get...some are far worse, like AIDS.
Teaching children sexual responsibility and showing them how to practice safe sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy and disease should also be mandatory.
stardust said: But lots of parents won't, just as someone at GifS pointed out the resistance to Polio vaccines, mumps vaccines etc.that many people had when they first came out. They had to be mandated to control disease. This isn't a mere flu shot, it's protection against something that could be life-threatening.
Hence why is should be mandated.
stardust said: One thing I would like to know is why the vaccine isn't available for males. As another person pointed out, there is a higher risk of penile cancers in males who contract HPV, and since HPV is practically symptomless in males, they are spreading the disease without even knowing it.
VERY interesting point. Never thought of that. Kinda makes sense don't it?
stardust asked: Also, I don't know how fundies can think that this is going to make their girls run around like whores when there are many, many STDs people can get...some are far worse, like AIDS.
Erm... Becuase they're stupid???
stardust said: Teaching children sexual responsibility and showing them how to practice safe sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy and disease should also be mandatory.
As it should be in all civilised countries...
No spooky verification this time. That would've been *too* spooky though.. [rotflmao].
I will state basically what I said on GIFS and that is that I think it is unwise of any parent not to have their daughters vaccinated against HPV.
HPV is demonstrated to be a leading cause in cervical cancer and it is one way to "pre-emptively protect" their daughter for their whole life, from a known killer of women.
I suspect that most people would vaccinate their children against bird flu if there was a vaccinate which could ensure lifetime immunity, yet some of them are indecisive when it comes to protecting their children against a sexually transmitted disease.
What are we to learn from this? That it isn't ok for their children to die of bird flu if a vaccination was available, but it IS OK for their female children to die of cervical cancer even though a vaccine is available?
These people are not parents, they wish to be god, judge and jury.
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