Cervical Cancer and The HPV Vaccine Controversy: Where are the men? Where is the money?

HPV is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 50 percent of all sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their lives, and 20 million already have it. A vaccine is available that prevents 70% of cervical cancers that arise from sexual intercourse. The human papillomavirus is unknowingly common and is diagnosed in 10,000 women a year, causing 4,000 deaths per year (“HPV Question and Answers”). If we take the responsibility to vaccinate young girls and boys, to be safe, we can eliminate many unnecessary deaths. This vaccine is a great discovery that should be put to good use, the HPV vaccine should be mandated in young teens everywhere.

There are many reasons that this vaccine could be beneficial, not only to our society, but to many of the underdeveloped nations of the world in which HPV and cervical cancer are still considered to be an epidemic (MacDonald). It could save the young women who get the vaccine from the future trouble of dealing with a highly invasive cancer, as well as protect them from the embarrassment that comes with contracting a venereal disease. However, the controversy of this topic is not in whether the vaccine is a benefit to women’s health, which many, including the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control, believe that it is; but in the debate over whether it is the parents’ right, not the states’, to choose what is best for their child. The question of mandatory vaccination raises medical, moral and legal issues that are not easily reconcilable (Lovinger). Many parents are opposed to the mandating of this vaccine for three reasons. First, HPV is not spread by casual contact, as are the other diseases that children are vaccinated against for the safety of the classrooms. Second, the vaccine has only been approved for a short while, thus not all of the side effects and long term effects are known. Last, parents are afraid that by getting their child vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease they will be encouraging promiscuity. Gardasil would become the first vaccine mandated for school-aged children that targets a

While personal choice concerns to those who oppose the HPV vaccine, promiscuity concerns them the most. Many parents, women support groups, and religious leaders worry that mandating the vaccine will give teenagers one less reason to abstain from sexual activities. The

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a group of more than 40 types of viruses that infect the genital areas, throats (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis), and mouths of males and females and is the number one most common sexually transmitted disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). It is spread by genital contact. It is most easily spread by vaginal and anal sex, but also through oral sex and even just genital-to-genital (skin-to-skin). In 90% of people that contract HPV, their own immune system

Throughout the last decade there has been a rising epidemic of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. One of the most common vaccinations that is not being administered is the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, commonly known as HPV Vaccine. Childhood immunization involves a balance between parents’ autonomy in deciding whether to immunize their children and the benefits to public health from mandating such vaccines. Ethical concerns about pediatric vaccination span several public health domains, including those of policymakers, clinicians, and school administrators. This rise in reluctance has provoked the “Personal Choice vs. Public Health” debate among many decision making public institutions. There are many reasons why parents choose against the administration of the HPV vaccination among their children. Three many oppositions to the administration of the HPV vaccine are, the HPV vaccine encourages sexual activity among youth, parents feel

The information provided by student Cheryl Gordon pertains to today’s society. The world is getting smaller therefore the risk of contracting an illness increases significantly. Government officials have created many reforms in order to make the necessary and positive changes to have at least the majority of children vaccinated before they enter the school system (Capron, 2015). These precautions have been mandated due to the increase research of the benefits of vaccinations. Children that young are more susceptible of contracting more illnesses. This is why it is important for them to be vaccinated against preventable diseases. One example is the recommendation for routine HPV vaccination for females 11-12 years of age (Klein & Luedtke,

HPV vaccinations have been an ongoing debate; whether the vaccine is worth being administered to young girls is the fundamental question and if so at what cost. The primary reason I selected this topic is that HPV is a common virus complicated and often misunderstood infection; nearly 80 million people, about one in four are currently infected in the United States.

Since then, the program has been successful, with the HPV vaccination uptake rising above 80% (Rehn et. al, 2015). The free-of-charge school-based model has been implemented in other countries like Canada as well with similar success. Registration for the Swedish HPV vaccination program was conducted using an opt-out principle, meaning that consent was assumed if the parent did not oppose registration after being informed. An opt-out principle maintains autonomy of the patient in a mandated vaccination program; since the patient ultimately has the final decision, education of the HPV vaccination is imperative. While the opt-out mandated HPV vaccination program seen in Sweden appears to be an appropriate model for a similar program in the United States, it is important to acknowledge the differences between Sweden and the United States that may complicate implementation. For example, the United States is only able to offer free-of-charge school based vaccinations to those enrolled in the VFC program. Additionally, if a student is uninsured but is not enrolled in the VFC program or misses the schoolwide vaccination series, it is increasingly difficult to attain a catch-up vaccination past the age of

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) accounts for the third most prevalent cancer in females worldwide,15 as it is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI).2 There are more than 100 subtypes of HPV; 16 of those subtypes are known to be high-risk.15 HPV is a crucial precursor to cervical cancer in 99.8% of those affected,2 with subtypes 16 and 18 being the most common types.15

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a double stranded DNA virus. There are many genotypes HPV and some of them are oncogenic. They have envelope proteins E6 and E7 on their cell wall which are associated to initiate cancer. Anogenital lesions associated to HPV are divided into ‘low-risk’ types (6, 11, 34, 40, 42, and 43) and ‘high risk’ types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 69, 73, and 82). Most of the low risk HPV infections are asymptomatic and are not fatal, however infection to high risk HPV such as type 16 and 18 may cause cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancer (Centre of Disease Control, 2012). Low risk HPV generally cause warts on the skin surface which rarely develop into malignancy. Type 16 and 18 both were originally isolated from cervical carcinomas of human body. More than 70% of human cervical is due to the infection of either HPV 16 or 18. According to CDC, in 2008 it was estimated 11,070 cases of cervical cancer in United States and about 3,870 deaths due to cervical cancer. Higher percentage of HPV persistent infection occurs by HPV-16 and the risk of getting cervical cancer due the progression of disease is higher for HPV 16 and 18 and 45 (Tino F. Schwarz, 2008).

HPV is short for Human Papillomavirus. The virus can cause anal cancer, mouth/throat cancer, vaginal cancer, and cancer in the penis for men. “There are about 17,500 women and 9,300 men affected by HPV-related cancers every year” (Eggen 1). It has been medically proven that the vaccine could have prevented the cancer. The human papillomavirus is passed from one person to another during any skin to skin sexual contact. The virus is most common during late teen years to early twenties. The vaccination is recommended for preteen girls and boys at age eleven or twelve. Some parents feel as though this is preparing their child for sex, and do not find it morally acceptable. However it has been proven that “the HPV vaccine has a better response in preteens, and this could essentially mean better protection for a child” (Eggen 1).Some social conservatives objected at the time that the vaccine would

HPV, human papillomavirus is a communal infection that is common among adults. It is one of the main sources of sexual transmitted infection. Over 75% of women that are sexually active are most likely to be infected at least once in their life. This virus is known to be a worldwide disease. According to the World Health Organization, the risk of acquiring HPV infection is highest soon after a sexual encounter. Most of these infections are self-limiting and harmless. The virus is harmless because a number of people don’t realize they are infected, because the virus is often subclinical. Persistent infections with oncongenic HPV types can cause cervical cancer in women. Even though, both male and female can be affected by the

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection in the United States (Ault, 2006). Almost all sexually active men and women will contract HPV at least once during their lifetime (What is HPV?, 2015). Sexually active women below the age of twenty-five consistently have the highest rates of infection (Ault, 2006). The development of the HPV vaccine in 2006 has decreased the prevalence of infection from 11.5% to 5.1% among females ages 14 to 19 (CDC, 2015). High-risk strains of HPV are also “detected in 99% of cervical cancer cases” (Valdez, Stuart, Tanjasari, Levy, & Garza, 2015, p. 106). Therefore HPV infection is one of the most significant risk factors in the development of cervical cancer.

Morally some will find it uneasy for an adolescent to be vaccinated for a sexually transmitted disease but the truth is that children will grow up and become sexually active. Reports give a certain age for the vaccine and that happens to be grade school age. The whole point of that is it is better to prevent than

The human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, is considered necessary for the development of cervical cancer condition. HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers. Therefore, HPV infection is more likely to be in women who start having sex at an early age and have multiple sexual partners or a partner who has had many sexual partners. This is because their behaviour is more likely to be exposed to HPV. However, a woman with only one partner can get HPV if partner has already been in contact with the virus (Public Health England, 2013).