Cost Effectiveness

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is very common throughout the United States and worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2016). There are over 100 different forms of the virus with 13 of these types being capable of causing cancer (WHO, 2016). HPV can lead to the development of serious health problems. Theses health problems are especially an issue for adolescent women due to the highly increasing STD rates among this age group (Kostas-Polston, Johnson-Mallard & Berman, 2012). There is a vaccine for many of the common types of HPV, however, many parents are refusing to vaccinate their daughters for various reasons. With the rising cases of STDs, less birth

The unforgettable story of vaccines is a story of triumph and controversy. The saddest part of the story is persistent ignorance and a lack of education, comingled with the personal need of some parents to explain away the problems of their children, have caused the controversy to arise. The good news is that the triumphant reality of vaccines as a whole is still the larger enduring legacy. The human papillomavirus vaccine is not an exception to this rule; in fact despite all the controversy surrounding the vaccine, it is one of medicine’s greatest lifesaving gifts to us.

Instead, if people saw how serious this virus is, then they may be able to more clearly see how beneficial the vaccinations are. HPV is so common and prevalent in today’s society that it will infect 75% – 80% of both males and females throughout their lifetime. Those infected with specific

Single-variable research can answer exciting and important questions like the one in this research, but it does not answer questions about statistical relationships between variables (Jhangiani et al., 2015). Descriptive statistics refers to a set of techniques for summarizing and displaying data (Jhangiani et al., 2015). The study location is within the United States and its territories. The timeline of the study ranges from 2010 – 2015. The logic behind the time is tied to the fact that in 2011, the ACIP endorsed administering the HPV vaccine for adolescent boys with a goal to cover 80% of males aged 13 – 15 years. Therefore, the time frame covers one year before implementation and four years after. There are no anticipated costs associated with this research.

The HPV virus has gone unseen by many until the recent controversy over the vaccine. However, this virus is thought to be one of the world’s most wide spread STD’s. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 6.2 million women and men are newly infected every year” with HPV. HPV has over 100 strains, with more than thirty that are sexually transmitted. Some of these strains are known to cause cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis cancers and others can cause genital warts. “Studies have found the vaccine to be almost 100% effective in preventing diseases caused by the four HPV types covered by the vaccine—including precancers of the cervix, vulva and vagina, and genital warts” (“HPV Questions and

To require a vaccine for HPV to be taken to prevent cervical cancer is unnecessary. Ninety-five percent of people diagnosed with HPV never accumulate cervical cancer. Not enough people accumulate cervical cancer to make the vaccine a requirement. If more people obtained cervical cancer from HPV the requirement of the vaccine would be more appropriate. Due to the lack of cancer receivers the vaccine should be optional.

Prophylactic vaccination against high risk human papilloma virus 16 and 18 represents an exciting means of protection against HPV related malignancy. However, this strategy alone, even if there is a level of cross protection against other oncogenic viruses, cannot completely prevent cervical cancer. In some countries cervical screening programs have reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer by up to 80 percent although this decline has now reached a plateau with current cancers occurring in patients who have failed to attend for screening or where the sensitivity of the tests have proved inadequate. Cervical screening is inevitably associated with significant anxiety for the many women who require investigation and treatment following abnormal cervical cytology. However, it is vitally important to stress the need for continued cervical screening to complement vaccination in order to optimize prevention in vaccines and prevent cervical cancer in older women where the value of vaccination is currently unclear. It is likely that vaccination will ultimately change the natural history of HPV disease by reducing the influence of the highly oncogenic types HPV 16 and 18. In the long term this is likely to lead to an increase in recommended screening intervals. HPV vaccination may also reduce

Vanderpool et al. focused on whether or not a free voucher, after a brief interview assessing a few HPV related health risks, would persuade women to receive the full dose of the vaccine. It was found that less than 50% of the women that were presented with a free vaccine voucher redeemed it. The variables that were found to significantly predict uptake in a controlled analysis include “in general vaccines are a good thing” - which displayed that women were about 35% less likely to decline the free vaccine voucher - and “I believe that getting the vaccine will be painful,” which showed that women were approximately 27% less likely to decline the free vaccine voucher. The following three variables were not in a controlled analysis but still

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

However, shouldn’t it be a woman’s choice if they choose the 70% of cervical cancers or the 0.05% risk? However, the bottom line is that their choice to be vaccinated could save everyone. It’s a simple concept; herd immunity. When everyone is vaccinated, the vaccine is far more effective. One example of herd immunity is polio. Nowadays, polio is not a real threat to the people of the United States because essentially, we are all immune. However, during the 1960’s, this was definitely not the case. Eventually as a vaccine for polio was developed, the virus became far less prevalent because people were being vaccinated. But, do you think that every single person in the United States got vaccinated? No. However, a majority of people did until there was no way or source for the people who were unprotected from the virus to contract it. This same event can occur for HPV. If we make this vaccine mandatory for 11-12 year old girls, before they’re sexually active, the number of people who could pass on the virus would be less and less, until we eliminate the strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer.

In order to understand why a State required HPV vaccination should be implemented, I will describe

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are over 100 types of HPV, but only 40 types affect the genital area and can cause genital warts and cervical cancer in women (“Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine”). In 2011 in the United States, 12,109 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer. Of those, 4,092 women died (“Cervical Cancer Statistics”). HPV is not only contracted from sexual intercourse, but also from skin to skin contact, including oral sex. The STI affects males and females involved in both homosexual and heterosexual sexual activities. Over 70 percent of sexually active individuals contract and carry HPV before the age of 80. In order to combat HPV two different brands of HPV vaccination – Gardasil and Cervarix – were created. Both include a vaccination plan of three shots over the course of six months. Gardasil was created by Merck & Co., and was licensed by the FDA in June 2006. The vaccine protects against HPV types 16 and 18, which lead to cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts. The FDA later approved Cervarix, created by GlaxoSmithKline, in 2009, which only protects against HPV types 16 and 18 (“Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine”). Originally, Gardasil was only approved for females, but three years after the release, the vaccine was approved

The HPV vaccine is cancer prevention. Over thousands of cases of HPV cancers are detected every year in men and women. The HPV vaccination is important because it can prevent these cancers. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved this vaccine and it is one hundred percent safe. This vaccine is preventive care for the second leading cancer in women. It has been proven to be one hundred percent effective in prevention of cervical cancer, but the vaccine must be given to children between the age of 11 -17 before they become sexually active. After the age seventeen with young women most become sexually active and receive their first pap smear from their gynecologist, receiving the vaccine at this point is not as effective in prevention of cancers. Another benefit of receiving the vaccine during adolescent, is it supports people who may not have the medical knowledge or access to regular medical services.

HPV vaccinations have been involved in some heated debates involving the general public and the government for some time now; whether the vaccine is worth being administered to young girls is the underlying question and if so at what cost. In the articles “HPV Vaccine Texas Tyranny” and “The HPV Debate” both authors Mike Adams and Arthur Allen provide enlightening information on why the HPV vaccinations should not be mandated through legislation, Adams conveys his bias and explains how the government is over stepping its boundaries when it comes to the publics’ health while Allen on the other hand, is more opt to present analytical data on previous cases similar to the one he is currently facing.

Among the many arguments for mandatory HPV vaccination, the foremost is that it is an important medical achievement and a major public health milestone. This vaccine has proven to be one-hundred percent effective in preventing the 4 HPV strains that are responsible for seventy percent of cervical cancers and ninety percent of genital warts. In addition, no serious side effects have been identified. Because this vaccine is a preventive measure, administration before onset of sexual activity is ideal; however, even females who have been sexually active can still benefit from this vaccination (Perkins et al., 2010). Nationally and internationally, the HPV vaccine will significantly reduce disease burden by reducing monetary and psychological costs of invasive procedures that remove precancerous and cancerous lesions. By combining vaccination with routine Pap smear screening, these public health efforts have the remarkable opportunity to eradicate cervical cancer (Ramet et al., 2011).