Cervical Cancer Vaccine: The Good, Bad and Ugly
The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met last month to make recommendations on the use of a safe and effective new vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV).
- HPV is a virus spread by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. It often goes away without symptoms or else causes genital warts. Once contracted, there is no effective treatment.
- HPV exposure is very common, with about 80% of sexually active Americans having been exposed.
- Sometimes the virus infects the female's cervix, where it usually lies dormant. It can, however, transform normal cells into looking "pre-cancerous" on a Pap smear. These abnormal cells are then at risk to progess to cancer.
- Most cervical cancer (perhaps 80%) is caused by HPV.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2006, 10,000 American women will develop cervical cancer and that 3,700 will die from it. Worldwide, cervical cancer afflicts 500,000 women per year and causes about 270,000 deaths. After breast cancer, it is the second leading cancer-killer in women.
The good
By immunizing children with three doses of the vaccine before they are sexually active, about 70% of HPV infections that could later lead to cervical cancer can be prevented. Put simply, this is a vaccine that can prevent cancer - a dream come true (hopefully not the last) for all of us, and a triumph of modern medicine!
The bad
HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. So, as you might guess, some "abstinence only" advocates oppose making the immunization mandatory because, as Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council stated: "...young women may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."
I'll leave it to you to decide if there is any merit to this dubious claim, but I think Cynthia Dallard of the Guttmacher Institute said it best: "If we had a vaccine for lung cancer, I don't think anyone would hold it back from their children because it might encourage them to smoke."
The ugly
We will see what the ACIP recommends in a few months. To my horror, a recent article in The New Yorker magazine suggests that the Bush administration is quietly lobbying against its universal administration, not wanting to impinge on a parent's right to refuse to give his/her child the vaccine and to further the administration's abstinence agenda by "giving the right message".
Dr. P rants: My government not supportive of a vaccine that will prevent cancer? I'm getting old and thought I'd seen it all but, if true, this sets a new standard for misguided governmental interference with the health of our children.
I once cared for a young boy who contracted a meningitis that likely would have been prevented had his parents not decided to avoid the "dangers" of vaccinations. You can guess how sad it was for all of us - especially the parents. (It's why I now insist my patients be fully immunized if they want me to be their pediatrician.)
Similarly, I wouldn't want to be the parents who live to see their daughter contract an HPV-caused cervical cancer because, when she was 10 years old, they decided to give her the "message" that contracting HPV and potentially getting cancer was preferable to having premarital sex.
Related Topics: Cervical Cancer Vaccine Nearing FDA Review, Cancer: A Closer Look
Technorati Tags: cervicalcancervaccine, HPV, genitalwarts
68 Comments:
Oh well, the rest of us are mixing medicine with political advocacy, so why not Dr. Parker as well?
As long as we're debating politics instead of medicine...
Comparing meningitis to HPV was way over the top. Not even good rhetoric. Shame on you...
Flea
Perhaps comparing meningitis to HPV is a bit much, but comparing cirvical cancer to lung cancer isn't.
I think it's over the top to say that a vaccinaction sends a message about behavior.
I don't know about you, but when I was vaccinated for polio, rubella, and -- uh, whatever else I was vaccinated for -- I had no idea what I was being given or how I might come in contact with those germs. I didn't take it as some kind of message that I could stop washing my hands or could start eating candy that had fallen on the floor.
I remember all kinds of trivia, but I had some shots in the late 90s when I was going to travel to Russia and I don't remember what they were now.
I think that if you don't want your kids to get a bad message about the shot, you don't have to be specific about what it's for. Chances are they aren't going to remember what they got anyway.
So here goes I'm speaking up. At 25 I was pregnant and found to have HPV which resulted in severe dysplasia. I had my wonderful daughter vaginally because the doctors didnt have alot of information to give me on the risks of a vaginal delivery when one has HPV and that it can be passed to the baby. Thank God my girl is healthy and fine and has suffered none from my bad choices. I say bad choices because like most young people I didnt worry about the dangers of unprotected sex at that age.So on with my story, the dysplasia later turned to cervical cancer, but went undetected and overlooked for 3 more years because of my age.I had asked for a hysterectomy several times, to 3 different doctors but none would do so because of the age thing, the fact that I have only one child, and that I wasnt married(why should a man be able to decide my health and wheather or not I keep my uterus?) if I was married my husband could sign for it to be removed. Anyway I thankfully found a wonderful doctor who did the hysterectomy I had been asking for for 3 years. I am now 31 and going on my third year of being cancer free. So as far as the HPV vaccine I would get my daughter vaccinated in a heart beat so that she wont have to go through the feelings of hopelessness and dispair that I went through not knowing if I would be alive to see my child grow. We all make mistakes so why should we have to pay with our life for something we did when we were kids if we as parents can prevent it by a vaccine. Wouldnt you vaccinate if they had one for AIDS????
I think that it is a bad idea to "assume" that HPV is transmitted only through premarital sex. I contracted it because my ex-husband contracted it during an affair and subsequently gave it to me. I think that a vaccine has nothing to do with behavior and it should be given if it reduces the chance of cancer.
Vaccine's for children should be done with each individual child in mind, and the hope that you can prevent each child from contracting a particular disease or malady. It's about each individual child's health.
But requiring that all children receive a vaccine is about society's need to prevent transmission of disease. It is about the public health.
I will give the HPV vaccine to my daughter when her doctor recommends it, but do not want the government to require it for entering school. HPV is not transmittable in a reasonable school setting (sex should not happen at school) because it takes quite a bit of work to transmit it.
Instead, required vaccines should be for those diseases that can be casually transmitted from child to child, teacher to child, child to teacher, etc.
Otherwise how a child is given health care should be up to the parent and the doctor.
I just turned 31 in February 2006 and found out a year prior that I had HPV. This year as I do every year I went for my annual exam and in a years time I went from a normal Pap to having severe dysplaisa (stage CIN3). I don't know how or where I got HPV I do know that I do not practice poor sexual habits, so to judge a person in that manner would be wrong. I currently have no children but we have been trying for the past 5 years. It is embarrising to tell someone you have HPV let alone have to go through the process of having abnormal cells removed from your cervix. So yes I think the vaccine is a great idea and I only wish it would have been available sooner, maybe then 80% of sexually active women would't have it today.
Not to mention preventing all of the premature births, 2nd trimester losses, months of bedrest, etc. etc. that can result from the procedures to treat pre-cancerous cells on the cervix.
I am the father of a 12 year old girl. We are raising her in a good home and hopefully instilling good values. As with most parents I do want my daughter to grow up making good choices. I do not see this new vaccination as permission to have sex. Who knows the history of their partner prior to marriage? I mean the total history. In addition, even if there were one or two partners, you do not know the history of them. That said, I see this as a common sense approach to prevent a potentially deadly illness. We will discuss this a great deal prior to presenting it to our daughter. I know the effects of cancer. My mother died recently of cancer and my sister and father are currently getting treatment.
The vaccine is prevention; it has nothing to do with premaritial sex. Let's get with the program-it's prevention, stupid. We all need to join with former US Senator John Danforth (a Protestant minister)who says that we are letting the ultra right religious conservatives over-rule the middle way and just steam roll us(see his Washington Post interview 2 months or so ago). I will sign up my 16 yr old non-sexually active daughter as soon as possible. She missed out on the Lyme's Disease vaccine because she was too young. But what about us older moms with no HPV? Is there a vaccine for us? This is the 3rd bit of good news today. The first was the al-Zawqui is dead; the 2nd is that the market went up! and the 3rd is this vaccine. Finally, a good news day when we really need it!
I do not think that this vaccination should be mandatory. Not yet. It was only just approved and we need at LEAST another decade in order to see what the long-term results are. Not to mention what the effects that are as yet unknown will turn out to be.
Yes, it's a wonderful vaccination and will hopefully prevent alot of people from getting sick. I'm not denying that. I am saying to use caution, these are our children-not guinea pigs or lab rats! Do you want to be ordered to have a vaccine given to your child when it hasn't been approved long enough to show real-life trials-not jut the clinical ones?
We need more information on this vaccine and we need to be alert for things that might not be obvious at first. It is my recommendation that longer trials are needed before this vaccine should be mandatory for young girls.
It's a wonderful breakthrough and a step in the right direction to be sure. I just believe in tempering good-will for my child with patience and knowledge about what they are being given.
Males and females should be vaccinated for HPV, because "boys will be boys", and they will "be boys" with girls.
HPV pre-cancerous cells and cancer can spread to the vagina, vulva and the surrounding areas. A clear pap test is a false security. Even doctors, doing the Pap test can miss the pre-cancerous spreading. The operation is devastating and the open wound takes months to heal and the pain is indescribable and the chance for infection is extremely high.
A virgin bride can get HPV from her husband on the wedding night.
I have read that it is very possible that 70% of the world's population is infected with HPV.
I also read that the living virus has been scraped from under fingernails and therefore could possibly be spread by shaking hands.
If Bush's government wants to protect the people of the USA, they have to include women and girls.
I have two questions: firstly I know that HPV has MANY species, probably well over a 100, and only a few are associated with cervical dysplasia and cancer. These viruses also cause warts of all sorts. Will this vaccine prevent common warts?
Secondly, do we know of safety issues with this vaccine?
A vacine for cancer... get it. You never know who your daughter will marry that carries any STD and if couples can't talk about finances before their married, they may not be talking about past partners either. Your daughter may be an angel and a virgin when she marries but he may not. Don't risk your daughters life. I'm a strong Christian with three daughters already past 16 and if this was available when they were younger, I would have had them get the vacine.
Congrats on the person who brought up caution and vaccine safety! This vaccine has only been in trials for 5 years. 5 years! during that time, 5 women who conceived near the time of vaccination had babies with birth defeccts. Do you know the rate of unplanned pregnancies in this country? is Merck positive the birth defects had nothing to do with the vaccine? Yes, its great this option is out there. But mandatory for school entry? How can states legally block someone from school entry who poses no danger to the students in the classroom? We are talking about vaccinating an entire generation of girls after a short trial. Let's have some patience here - make sure its safe before we inject every little 9 year old with an unproven drug.
What I read says the vaccination is given up to age 26...I'm 25 now and am going to bring it up to my doctor at my next appt. When my daughter is old enough (she's 3 now), I'm going to get her vaccinated as well. Why would anyone let their child be susceptible to cancer when there is a vaccine that can prevent it?
I'm planning on having my 13 year old vaccinated. Does that mean that I'm telling her it's ok to have sex? No and I feel that she's smart enough to make her own decisions. Besides, even if she is a virgin on her wedding night, who's to say that her husband will be? I work in an OB/GYN office, so I see every day what's out there.
I agree that we should look at the big picture beyond our own politics and see that this is a greater good issue.
The fact is that HPV exists, and is already in the population. If we let it go, the numbers will likely get worse. When I was a teenager, I was told that 50-70% had it. Even some who advocate abstinence likely have it, even unknowingly, since not all strains cause warts. I know that may be a shocking thought, but think about it. The odds are 12 of the 16 people who posted have some form of it, male or female. That doesn't mean that 12 of 16 people who posted are immoral. That's an entirely separate issue.
The responsibility of parenting remains with the parents' messages, and the messages of the government. I don't remember a time in my life that I made any decision because my government sanctioned it or did not. I made it based on my own personal and family-instilled values.
Dr. P's medical advocacy is to be commended. He is merely stating the facts so parents can be up to date on the issues, research, and even politics affecting a deadly, and preventable virus.
We adopted a little girl who picked up HPV from her mother at birth, at 25 weeks gestation. Our daughter has it in her throat: she had surgery 22 times in 4 years because the HPV blocked her airway with it's warty growth, even though a trach was in place. After 2 years of chemotherapy, the ENT cautiously advised to remove the trach, because the HPV seemed to be growing only around the area of the trach insertion. We are now 12 months without surgery, but continously listening for sounds of 'course breathing' that would indicate airway obstruction. We want to believe her pre-cancerous HPV is in remission, but she will never be 'cured'. If a vaccine becomes available, we'll be in line to receive it.........if she survives that long. (Our daughter just turned 7 years old; we found the HPV when she was 3 years old.)
Sometimes HPV in adults can be transmitted to the next generation, either at birth or through sexual abuse.
You all act as if women only get the virus. What about us men that have it? The HPV virus cause penile and testicular cancer as well. When will we be given a treatment that will help stop HPV in Men. I think people forget that Health is an issue for both sexes. My big question is, will this vaccine help for men as well? I know we do not get cervical cancer but we still get HPV and the effects are just as embarrassing and even more so for us. Thanks!!
I'm a little miffed at the fact that I CANT be vacinated at my old age of 28. Especially if you consider the divorce and remarry rate in this country alone---there is never the promise that you will stay with that one partner. Also, I garantee they didn't wait long after they found the vacination for small pox before they began administering. Wait five more years and add 1,350,000 more diagnoses to your score board.
I am embarrassed to think that my government would even entertain the idea of withholding this vaccine from children! It is just one more example of how really out of touch this administration is, has been and always will be!!!
It saddens me a great deal!
What is the cost to give a child/young woman this treatment??
Thank you for voicing the obvious. All of your analogies were appropriate. Your indignation and frustration are appropriate. The fact that you could not hold your tongue is appropriate.
If I believe that someone was going to take the road that COULD lead to an abyss of whatever proportions, and there was another road available, I'd be culpable in their potential bad end if I didn't speak.
I took more than the Hippocratic Oath. I have been fortunate enough to have learned to use my head.
I don't believe your opinion is "political". I believe it is the OPPOSITE of "unintelligent".
Thank you again for being loud about what should be obvious. Whose life might be saved? It would probably be someone who didn't want to die if it could have been prevented.
There are so many other wonderful reasons to discuss why our children need not engage in premature sex, getting the vaccine will protect them from "ubiquitous viruses" that could affect them after the priest has blessed the marital bed....
It makes no sense to deprive a child of the vaccine that could save her life, just so your president can make a political point.....
well while this is an exciting concept....first of all when treating anything a doctor has to be responsible to "first do no harm".The same should be said for vaccinations.It needs to be researched that preventing this disease won't have horribly negative adverse affects in other areas.
I also agree that men should have a similar sort of vaccination.There have to be millions of men out there that have knowingly had partners with hpv,that somehow think they are free of symptoms,so they are free of the disease.Not so,they are carriers and unknowingly spread it or risk spreading it to countless partners in the present,and future.
As he shows over and over again,its no surprise to me Pres. Bush is against this.He's against stem cell research.AT a time when thousand of young americans are dying fighting in war,Bush is more worried about banning gay marriage and amending the constitution to ensure that.He has no interest in others pursuing happiness and health.
I would like to know if there are studies that involve women who are sexually active but do not have the HPV virus. What is the efficiacy of the vaccine if you administer the HPV vaccine to these women? Secondly I work in a pediatric office. If and when we decide that we want to give this vaccine to young girls, how will we tell the parents thier child cannot get the vaccine because thier daughter/son has already engaged in sexual intercourse. It opens a whole other can of worms.
I AM 62, CAN I GET THE VACINE
There are many things wrong with the information that Merck and the hundreds of articles that have appeared supporting this "vaccine".
1. This is not a vaccine for cervical caner; it is a vaccine for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. A disease that is not a threat to those that live a normal, monogamous lifestyle.
2. The vaccine is for girls and women ages 9-26.
3. Plans are to make the vaccination mandatory. If your little girl doesn't get vaccinated, then she will not be allowed to attend school. If your eyebrows have not been raised by now, then you have problems yourself.
4. Further plans are to make the vaccination mandatory for boys as well of the same ages. After all, this vaccine is really for a STD, not a cancer.
What makes me so angry about this whole "vaccine" deal is this: why should this vaccine be forced upon all girls and women? Only those who live a sexually promiscuous lifestyle have to worry about this disease. This is an outrage, but as always, the sheeple will go right along with this, giving little or no opposition. Many will happily take their daughters, and eventually theirs sons, to take a forced vaccination that is totally unnecessary!
I have a lot of problems with many vaccinations, most do no good whatsoever, and have never been proven to prevent any disease. There is a lot of information out there that is written by many healthcare providers who have "spilled the beans". But, this is the final straw for me. Should this vaccine be made mandatory, any girls that my wife and I may have in the future WILL NOT TAKE THIS VACCINATION. And I will happily homeschool our children to keep them from having some Big Brother vaccination being forced upon them.
Merck's terrible track record for not being honest and upfront about their other drugs' side effects makes me say "NO THANKS" to this vaccine. I recently heard on NPR that more damaging information about Vioxx exist. There is no way I trust anything made by Merck. Merck says this vaccine protects you for life yet it has only been around a short time, well, that tells me something is very wrong with this picture.
newsflash for you all...I have HPV and have not had ANY type of sexual contact. There are other methods of transmission for this disease!
My father and grandfather were obstetricians and so is my husband, and I find this discussion disconcerting. HPV is more often than not dealt with naturally by the human body and the few affected adversely by it can usually detect and deal with it through the Pap smear. Those who are still concerned can get the vaccine.
What most parents, and sadly many doctors, don't know is that all vaccines contain toxins and none have been studied long enough to know if they are truly safe. Indeed what we are witnessing in the health of today's children is proof. They are sicker than ever, often reacting before our eyes and we don't even acknowledge it. I know because I have experienced it myself.
When a vaccine like Gardasil is "recommended" it is then forced on all children regardless of health status, and doctors like Dr. Parker then give families their "walking papers" as I have often heard when they refuse to vaccinate. Many doctors will refuse care of children over vaccines. Think about that for a minute. My children as well as other family members repeatedly reacted to vaccines for over ten years and no one caught the problem. I found that doctors don't even know what to do with an adverse reaction. With sick and terrified children and medical bills into the tens of thousands each year I was told "that's too bad" and "it's not my problem" by some doctors.
As for the meningitis vaccine, it left my daughter with post-meningitis syndrome and now the tax payers get to help pay for her education. She will always have to deal with the aftermath and that's why my children ask for donations to the National Vaccine Information Center every year for their birthday instead of gifts.
Bottom line: Once again we are vaccinating for an illness that is much more dangerous in older age. So we possibly put the disease off with a vaccine leaving the woman predisposed to more trouble later. Young woman are much more likely to clear the virus on their own. We don't even know how long the "protection" lasts and it is NOT the same as natural immunity. It's a matter of choice or at least it should be. If a woman can abort a child, then a mother should be allowed to protect one from the nightmare that is vaccine injury. When the HPV vaccine is added to the list, more children will suffer.
Prehaps Merck and the FDA are promoting this vaccine so very agressively to distract the public from the Vioxx scam.
"Only those who live a sexually promiscuous lifestyle have to worry about this disease."
How nice to live in such a cut and dry world. There are over 70 million people with HPV in America. Most don't even know they have it. Our immune system is supposed to work it out but sometimes it doesn't. I am not sexually promiscuous. I got HPV from my long term BF ( he was, as most men are, unaware that he has it) while always using protection. This disease is spread through SKIN to SKIN contact. No actual penetration is necessary. Protect your children. They will have quite enough to worry about in their world.
vaccines are for the medical industry, and they do more harm then good. a truly dis-ease free diet and positive mental attitude and emotions- at present, and a good emotional up-bringing, and you will never ever be sick. It's no wonder our culture is dis-eased. We are boozers and meat-eaters and war mongers with serious psychological issues, with little or no scientific freedom! Doubt this? What about timothy leary going to jail? What about wilhelm reich going to jail!
I am not religious, and I don't believe in sects, because there is only one religion. And it is not the medical industry, the priesthood of modern times, of the industrial age. I don't have the answers, or the cure. In fact, the only cure is like money. You can't have it all at once. You just have to walk the path each day of your life, like marcus aurelius and the ancients, and the greats, of all ages. You can't suppress the symptoms. You have to work on the core. And you find that you are caught up in one issue, and you try get a grip on it, and you go deeper and deeper, and there you are, and you find yourself caught up in the Great Work itself!
The word profit comes from the latin word for progress. People have "flattened" that concept to include only money. I will try to remember the vaccines I had as a kid, so that I can be aware of how I was raised by my parents and which ways I had to submit to medical professionals. But I certainly won't make my children have one, from love. From the womb to the tomb. Not for me. Childbirth in my own house!
I wish that they had of found a "Cure" the vaccine sooner! I lost my mother to cervical cancer and I myself had the first stages of it, before it was caught. If a vaccine can save my daughter's life, then I say use it, but they need to work with the younger children too. I and many other children are put in contact with the virus at a younger age than 9. Try around the age of 4 and five if not younger than that thanks to the sickos in this world who don't care how old the child is.
In response to Mr.Perdue: As someone has already stated, While ONE may be a virgin on their wedding night ,what about the partner? Not everyone tells the whole truth about their past. Some things are just too embarrissing to talk about even years after they happen. What about those poor children who are raped as toddlers or as babbies, It DOES happen just read your papers. Are they to be punished for what happened when they couldn't do anything about it and prob. don't even know what happened?
So, why are the coments only concentrating on "premarital sex" and making bad "mistakes". Women can get it from their spouses too and are at no less risk of contracting HPV and men from women. Maybe because, hopefully, married women are more likely than teens to have annual paps.
I do not think that the Dr. is comparing HPV to Meningitis but to the getting, or not getting, kids immunized for something that can be deadly, that is so wide-spread, that can be prevented by a vaccine. What is it about our society that doesn't want to be told what to do: to have immunizations, to wear bike helmets, to wear seatbelts, to use car seats for out little ones. And yet all of those safeguards have shown decreasing numbers in the statistics. "Big Brother does do a few things right. So, What next? How about a vaccine for HPV that can protect us!
Mr. Perdue,
you're statement "this is not a vacine for cervical cancer" is correct. It is a vacine for the PREVENTION of cervical cancer, 2nd only to breast cancer as a leading cause of death in women. As you can read, babies can be infected at birth, they have not had a chance to lead a promiscuous lifestyle or be monogomous in a relationship.
I do sincerely pray that any daughters you may be blessed with never encounter a cheating husband or a sexual assult that could ultimatley infect your moral child.
I do have issues with our government and this is an area where they should just butt out.
As with ALL decisions regarding our individual health choices, CHOICE should ALWAYS be up to the individual. Freedom of CHOICE is what women have been fighting for for many years.
It is a lucky thing that adulthood comes at 18. Some girls/women who's parents felt they were being just in depriving them of a vacine that could ultimatly save their lives will still have time to innoculate themselves.
On the package insert for this HPV vaccine, Merck says the vaccine is not tested for carcinogenic potential. They've done some fertility studies in rats but rats can't catch HPV. What kind of parent would give their child an "anti-cancer" vaccine when the vaccine iteself is not tested to see if it can cause cancer? Give me a break - Merck couldn't check those rats they already had all caged up for a few tumors? Especially when childhood cancers are on the rise, when vaccine companies list on their package insert that the vaccine is not tested for carcinogenic potential - parents need to run the other direction as fast as they can. Remember when the tobacco companies used to say that there was no proof that cigarettes caused cancer? It is only a matter of time...
MERCK DISHONESTLY USED TOXIC ALUMINIUM BASED PLACEBO SO THAT THE CONTROL GROUP DOES NOT DIFFER DRASTICALLY FROM THE VACCINATED GROUP. VACCINE CONTAINS ALUMINIUM WHICH IS HIGHLY CARCENOGENIC. ALSO YOUNG CHILDREN OF 10 OR 12 YEARS WERE NOT IN THE STUDY SO THE EFFECTS ON THEM ARE A POTENTIAL CANCER BOMB
I am thankful for all the people on this blog who are skeptical of the vaccine, especially for those who give some factual information. A doctor who refuses to accept patients who make their own choices, i.e., whether or not to vaccinate, is a doctor who should be living and practicing in Communist China, not the United States. Giving a child a vaccine that has only been tested for five years? On top of all the other vaccines that laws require? I think that decision should be left to the parents and to the child. And it should NOT be made when the child is 9. The child should be older and make her own decision. It's a shame that fascist doctors such as Parker foist their beliefs on parents. And it's important to remember, as he evidently doesn't, that the meningitis vaccine is NOT effective 15% of the time.
I cried and cried the day I was diagnosed with HPV. Like some of the others on this list, I contracted it when the only person I slept with cheated on me.
HPV sits in men's systems and is not detectable because it doesn't affect them unless they get warts. This is why there hasn't been something done about it earlier, feminism is one step forward 15,000 steps back, especially in researching medical subjects.
Women can DIE because of HPV not being found early enough, and these parents who want to "protect" their children are probably the type that will also make their kids not want to go to the doctor for fear their parents will see on the bill they got tested for STDs. Instead of finding out, they will have the virus and it will grow into the vagina and onto the cervix and they could be as young as 15 and getting a hysterectomy (sorry, I'm not a great speller).
Villianizing women who want to protect themselves from cancer is about as counterproductive as abstinence only education. Don't you guys remember being a kid? Even if you make a smart choice, and are monogamous, that doesn't mean your partner is! Especially in the age group to be vaccinated.
Please get off of your high horses and morality soap boxes and see your little girls, not understanding the consequences of their actions, (there doesn't even have to be full insertion) finding out at 14 they will never have children. Yes the vaccination has its cons, but until you face the knowledge that you will have to tell every serious partner you ever have that through someone else's actions you are not going to be able to have children, please think before you speak.
Thank you.
Like penicillin was? What happens if the virus mutates?
I am a very skeptical person regarding any type of medication. I do quite a bit of research before I take anything. I want to see what has happened in the last 10+ years to the people that have taken the medicine. I want to see that it is proven to prevent what it is set out to prevent and has not caused other major problems (i.e. vioxx).
As for the vaccine against HPV, I am totally against giving it to my 14 yr old daughter UNTIL they show me how it has affected the girls that have taken it... when it comes time to have their family 10+ years down the road. How many have become infertile because of it, etc. When she becomes of age and she can read and understand the medical lingo regarding this and any other drug, I'll let her make this decision. By then, there should be enough evidence showing all the good and bad that has come from it.
Until then, Merck is not going to use my child as their personal guinea pig. Personally, they should all use it on THEIR own families then in 10 years come back and let us know the results.
do you get a vaginal exam prior to the shots? I would rather my mom not know i've had sex.
My mother had HPV when she delivered me. My luck when i truned 18 i was told that i had a sign of HPV. I haven't even had sex yet. Thanks to the Vaccine I am now free from HPV. I am getting married and dont have to worry about transferring to my kids in the future! When my kids are old enough to get the vaccine i will make sure they get it! I believe that even if you tell your kids not to have sex they still are going to, so why not protect my child! I would feel like a bad parent if i didnt try everything to protect my kids!
I have a 8 year old girl and
i think that a shot that can prevent cancer is a great thing.I am only worried about the long term effects.I don't think that it has been studied long enough to know if it will cause problems later in life.Ferther more i belive that it should not be required this should be a womens choice not requierment for school.
i became pregnant at 41, i did not know i had hpv until i went for an exam. when i looked at my record at that time, i knew that i never had it before meeting my partner. the fetus expired at 16 weeks, it was not until 38 weeks and the "plug" exposed that i found out i carried it until then. an internal ultrasound showed the expired fetus. from that time for a year i was screened for cervical cancer. i have anger at my partner for exposing me to this.
First of all HPV is very common and has been for a very long time. Its to the point that some doctors won't bother testing older patients because they are sure that they have it. Plus it's only been THREE years since they could TEST for it and they can only do a "DNA test" for this in women. What the crap does that mean, I thought men had DNA. I think they want to use us as test subjects and see how it goes since they don't know enough about it. I know of procedures that have been sucessful for over NINE years and are still considered "experimental" and after only three years of being able to test they want to force a vaccine on people. NO WAY!
Furthermore there have been vaccines created that later they found not to be the "best" option. So what if you do this or do it to your kids then find out it was bad for them? Screw the politics, this is about our health and THREE YEARS is not enough time to reach true conclusions and they are using us college kids by trying to scare us witless. SHAME ON THE MEDICAL PROFESSION!!!!
The HPV vaccine is a money making scam. Educate yourself, and you can see why. First of all, MOST women clear HPV from their bodies within two years. HPV has been very common for years, yet not even 4000 women will die from cervical cancer in a year. The only reason the press is suddenly reporting as if HPV is an epidemic killer is because the pharmaceutical company that will make hundreds of dollars from each scared woman wants them to. The supposed vaccine protects (although not 100%) against just four of the over 100 known HPV strains. It protects against two strains that are a risk for warts and two that are a risk for cancer. This leaves the rest of the over 30 genital HPV strains uncovered. Despite the recent hype over an old virus, the chances of developing cancer from HPV are very, very, VERY minimal. The chances from dying from it are insignificant. As the CDC notes, most women that die from cervical cancer die because they were NOT having biannual pap smears to catch it before it started. On top of that, not all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. So putting together the facts that:
HPV almost always goes away on its own
HPV rarely causes symptoms
HPV rarely turns to cervical cancer
Even then cervical cancer rarely causes death and can usually be caught early enough to stop it.
There are still around 30 more genital forms of HPV that the vaccine doesn't cover and any other details from the CDC government health web site, this vaccine is nearly worthless. Don't believe the hype. They are using scare tactics because they stand to make millions off of people who are scared of HPV and do not know the truth about it!
I'm not sure where the commenter above got their information, but what I've read is in strong disagreement.
This statement:
HPV rarely turns to cervical cancer
Is refuted by a study reported here, which concludes:
Seventy-six percent of cases could be attributed to HPV infection; the results of cytologic review suggested that the true percentage was even higher.
This statement:
HPV rarely turns to cervical cancer
Even then cervical cancer rarely causes death and can usually be caught early enough to stop it.
...is true only because of the wide use of the PAP smear, which does catch it early. However, early detection and treatment is not a guarantee that one will recover from cervical cancer.
And finally, this:
They are using scare tactics because they stand to make millions off of people who are scared of HPV and do not know the truth about it!
So if I understand correctly, your contention is that if everyone were educated about HPV, the rate of cervical cancer would drop even further than it would with a vaccine, and taking it one step further, the vaccine was developed for profit only?
How do you explain the ineffectiveness of abstinence programs in the context of your contention? Education doesn't seem to make a difference at all, so what makes you think that it would in this case?
If I knew a vaccine could prevent a common disease and potential to develop a fatal illness, I'd go for it before I'd place my faith in 'education'.
Please...i only wish that there was a vaccination for all cancers because i had it at the age of 27 and now at age 30 just three years after my life was turned upside down.a recent pap smer discoverd that i may have cervical cancer now!!! so i say if there is something out there to keep our young women and children safe i say LET THE VACCINATION BEGIN!!!!!
I think this is a good idea. It has helped alot and the only thing is my hair falls out like crazy but it's better than getting cancer
I have a 20yr old daughter who two weeks ago went in for her yearly check up...that she started at age 18. That afternoon she received a call from the nurse that she had an infection. Before she ever left the office, the Dr. had already discussed the vaccine w/her. She went today for a follow up and to start her vaccines.
I raised my daughter w/morals and preached to her about premarital sex. But the truth is parents, we cannot be w/our children 24/7 and it doesn't matter how much we drill into them, they are going to make their own decisions...be it drinking, drugs, smoking, and yes, premarital sex. You can preach, you can pray, you can scare, but face it, they are going to do what they want.
Look around us and you'll see sex being advertised everywhere...commercials, ads, tv, movies, music...it's all around us. It's going to take us a lot more than "talking" to do something about what our children are slapped in the face with every day.
How do I feel about the vaccine? Well, after having a hysterectomy at the age of 26 and suffering with premature menopause, full blown since age 40, I'm all for it. If my daughter can have something that will help prevent an illness or even death, why not take it? Do I think it should be mandatory, absolutely. There are some parents out there who don't care and would never consider doing something good for their child. There are single fathers raising daughters who, unintentionally, might not think about it. There are parents losing their lives who have children being placed in foster care and adoption homes...what if you wanted the vaccine for your child and now you don't have a say? There are also girls or women out there who, believe it or not, don't have regular check ups. So why not help them all by making the vaccine routine for our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. when they reach the age for it? It could be saving a lot of lives.
Anyone who opposes vaccinating CHILDREN, or anyone else for that matter against a potentially FATAL disease such as HPV is IGNORANT! In no way does it imply permission to engage in indiscriminate sex. I don't care what any of you "anti-vaccine" morons believe in; pre-marital sex or not, children ARE going to have sex so GET OVER IT!!!! GROW UP and protect our kids for their sake, you selfish petty fools.
I am 21 and I have severe dysplasia AKA pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I see how parents on here are saying that they can only hope that they are instilling good values into their children & that they trust them. Well, it only takes one time, one mistake, to be infected with HPV. I wish this vaccine would have been available when I was younger because I wouldn't be suffering what I do now, thanks to this disease.I had no idea about my partner having HPV and neither did he. My parents were great parents, but being a rebellious teen totally overpowered anything that was instilled in me. I still have check ups very often to keep a close eye on this disease but I also, by my own choice, received the vaccine. I would have when I was 10 if I would have known what was going to happen to me later in life. Having your young daughter get this vaccine does not permit her to have premarital sex, anyone that thinks this needs to get over themselves & think about their child's future. PLEASE, save your child from what I suffer from now & get her the vaccine. Now, I'm 21 and moved up my wedding with my fiance in hopes that we will still be able to get pregnant before I should have to have a hysterectomy. I believe I am very young, but the idea of not being able to have kids kills me. This vaccine could have prevented my worry & it can for your child as well.
have HPV? I recommend this herpes dating site to you http://www.STDRomance.com
I'm 20 years old and about a year and a half ago I found out that I had HPV, and recently I had a Pap test come back abnormal. Fortunately I was diagnosed with mild dysplasia, but it has still been a terrifying, learning experience. I would definately suggest that parents vaccinate their child. The shot is not advicataing premarital or unsafe sex, it just like getting a shot for the flu, its a preventative measure. In no way do I or have I ever lived a promiscuous lifestyle, which just proves that it can happen to anybody. Luckily both my parents and boyfriend have been very supportive and understanding about this entire situation. I would definately encourage parents to vaccinate their daughter, it is so much better to be safe than have to deal with such a terrifying situation.
I wish that there had been a vaccination for HPV/cervical cancer when I was younger because if there had been one available, I may not have ever contracted HPV, and I would not have had to endure the multitude of doctor's appointments and intense worrying over whether or not my precancerous cells have mutated into the next, more advanced stage of precancerous cells. I understand fully that I will not die from cervical cancer if I keep up with the twice a year Pap smears and follow up colposcopies and/or Leep procedures as needed. But I still worry very much over what happens between the Pap smears. I am married and have never been one to have multiple partners, but as someone else mentioned earlier on the message board, in this day and age it is harder to find a partner who will remain with you for life whether you are married to him/her or not. As a result, there will be serial monogamy for many people, and for those people-- there is just as much a risk for contracting HPV as those who have sex with multiple partners frequently. It only takes one sexual encounter to get HPV, and I can't understand why anyone would not want to have herself or her daughter vaccinated against this virus unless she is worried that the vaccine is not 100% safe. Other than that, I would plead to women and mothers to consider this vaccine as an alternative to complete celibacy--because total abstinence from all sexual practices for the duration of one's entire life is the only other practice besides getting this vaccanation that could prevent one from contracting HPV.
I wish that there had been a vaccination for HPV/cervical cancer when I was younger because if there had been one available, I may not have ever contracted HPV, and I would not have had to endure the multitude of doctor's appointments and intense worrying over whether or not my precancerous cells have mutated into the next, more advanced stage of precancerous cells. I understand fully that I will not die from cervical cancer if I keep up with the twice a year Pap smears and follow up colposcopies and/or Leep procedures as needed. But I still worry very much over what happens between the Pap smears. I am married and have never been one to have multiple partners, but as someone else mentioned earlier on the message board, in this day and age it is harder to find a partner who will remain with you for life whether you are married to him/her or not. As a result, there will be serial monogamy for many people, and for those people-- there is just as much a risk for contracting HPV as those who have sex with multiple partners frequently. It only takes one sexual encounter to get HPV, and I can't understand why anyone would not want to have herself or her daughter vaccinated against this virus unless she is worried that the vaccine is not 100% safe. Other than that, I would plead to women and mothers to consider this vaccine as an alternative to complete celibacy--because total abstinence from all sexual practices for the duration of one's entire life is the only other practice besides getting this vaccanation that could prevent one from contracting HPV.
I wish that there had been a vaccination for HPV/cervical cancer when I was younger because if there had been one available, I may not have ever contracted HPV, and I would not have had to endure the multitude of doctor's appointments and intense worrying over whether or not my precancerous cells have mutated into the next, more advanced stage of precancerous cells. I understand fully that I will not die from cervical cancer if I keep up with the twice a year Pap smears and follow up colposcopies and/or Leep procedures as needed. But I still worry very much over what happens between the Pap smears. I am married and have never been one to have multiple partners, but as someone else mentioned earlier on the message board, in this day and age it is harder to find a partner who will remain with you for life whether you are married to him/her or not. As a result, there will be serial monogamy for many people, and for those people-- there is just as much a risk for contracting HPV as those who have sex with multiple partners frequently. It only takes one sexual encounter to get HPV, and I can't understand why anyone would not want to have herself or her daughter vaccinated against this virus unless she is worried that the vaccine is not 100% safe. Other than that, I would plead to women and mothers to consider this vaccine as an alternative to complete celibacy--because total abstinence from all sexual practices for the duration of one's entire life is the only other practice besides getting this vaccanation that could prevent one from contracting HPV.
Ray Perdue is an idiot.
i was told by my doctor that i had hpv,and that it turned into gential warts. my doctor also said that the hpv could go away too. i just hope and pray that it does go away. i too was only with one person. so for those people who only sleep with one person u can be with one person but who they've been with before u
I recently received the hpv vaccination and i thought it was a good thing, but during the visit the dr. kept asking me if I was going to get pregnant soon, I insisted I wasn't but 2 weeks after the shot i found out i was pregnant, Now Im worried and wonder if this shot is going to make me have a defective pregnancy. do anyone think theres risk towards the pregnancy after taking the shot?
I have a phobia of needles, but I'm willing to do anything in order to prevent getting cancer - but still I would like to have an idea of whats to come when I go in for my check up in a week.
Do you need to be a virgin for all 3 shots, or just the first one?
And can men get tested to see if they carry HPV?
1. This is not a vaccine for cervical caner; it is a vaccine for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. A disease that is not a threat to those that live a normal, monogamous lifestyle.
This is so not true...I have been in a monogamous relationship for 4 years now and have contracted HPV and now have severe dysplasia. He was my first and only...This virus can lay dormant for up to 20 years! So whether or not you are in a monogamous relationship, GET THE VACCINE!
It only takes one time, or one person (obviously) to become infected..
PARENTS-wouldnt you want to see your children give you grandkids?! GET THEM VACCINATED! Nothing is going to stop your kids from having sex, but you CAN help prevent them from getting a potentially life threatening disease.
I've been married 26 years. My husband had several partners before we were married. Neither of us have cheated during the marriage. I had a recent pap test that came back with ascus cells and positive high hpv. All of my previous paps have been normal. Can hpv show up after 26 years? I have a biopsy scheduled in three weeks. I admit I'm a bit worried.
i'm 16 i had abnormal cells which was my hpv. then my cells were fine, now they are abnormal again, how likely am i to have cervical cancer?
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