Preventing Cervical Cancer with the HPV Vaccination

The HPV vaccine reception has been similar to that of the hepatitis vaccine in that both are seen as an attack on morality, and are considered by some as a license for promiscuity. In the book Vaccine Allen quotes, ‘ “ If a 10- or 12-year-old is given a vaccine to protect against a sexually transmitted disease, then it’s implied they’d be engaging in risky sexual behavior,” said Pia de Solenni, director of “life and women’s issues” for the Family Research Council’ (433). The fact that HPV lives in the sexual organs and is spread by sexual intercourse or intravenous drug use has caused many parents to come to the belief that their children are not at risk. Some parents go so far as to suggest that if

HPV vaccinations bring up many public health and ethical issues. Some states want to require vaccines for school attendance. In the academic journal article “HPV Vaccination’s Second Act: Promotion, Competition, and Compulsion”, author Jason Schwartz states that, “Although some argue that HPV vaccines should never be mandated for school attendance, the temptation for policymakers to revisit this ethical and policy debate must be resisted until HPV vaccination has successfully become a routine, trusted component of adolescent medical care” (Schwartz). This train of thought exemplifies the opposition to HPV vaccination in this country, which restricts us in immunizing possible victims as effectively as possible. If the ignorance towards the vaccine continues, there will not be a powerful impact in decreasing rates of HPV infections.

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.

“Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI)…it is the most prevalent STI in the United States, with strains causally linked to oropharyngeal and other cancers”. (Osazuwa-Peters p.1) It is understandable why people want to prevent such a virus. Since the FDA approval of HPV vaccines, in 2006, there have been many positive unobtrusive ways that states have adopted to prevent or control HPV, such as public education about the disease, legislation on funding, HPVcervical cancer screening. However, some states have attempted to mandate children to take the vaccine

Some argue that mandatory HPV vaccine promotes sexual activity. This reason is unique to HPV-related cervical cancer because only sexually active individuals are at risk for HPV and its’ associated problems, which differs from, for example, measles where solely being in the community is a risk factor (Colgrove, 2006). Historically, mandatory vaccinations have focused on these community-risk diseases, and therefore we lack a clear model for casual contact diseases. It’s proven quite difficult to enact any sort of mandated HPV legislation, instead relying on parents and juveniles to eventually make the best decision (Colgrove, Abiola & Mello,

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

Not a very strong case could be made for requiring that schoolgirls ages twelve and upward be required to be vaccinated against HPV. The vaccine only protects against two cancer-causing strains of HPV, so those who are vaccinated must still be regularly tested for precancerous changes in cervical cells, with a regular pap smear exam. Because of this many parents may object to exposing their children to the risks of side effects that come along with the vaccine. The HPV virus is spread by sexual contact, not airborne or casual interaction, so schools shouldn’t be able to mandate that the vaccine be a requirement for school girls.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) which includes over forty strains, several of which are the cause of 70% of cervical cancer cases (Thomas, 2008). The Food and Drug Administration licensed the vaccine, Gardasil, produced by the pharmaceutical company, Merck, in June 2006 as a safe and effective means for preventing cervical cancer caused by HPV (Thomas, 2008). The vaccine can be administered in young girls starting at the age of 9 years old and has been recommended for all girls and women between the ages of 13 and 26 years old with the vaccine being most effective prior to beginning sexual activity (Thomas, 2008). Compulsory vaccination mandates require vaccination of particular individuals and have been proposed as a means to achieving profound levels of HPV immunization throughout female adolescent populations within the United States (Balog, 2009). This paper will focus on a discussion of the current debate surrounding compulsory HPV vaccination mandates, the ethical principles underlying the issue, and how this issue relates to the practice of professional nursing.

Lack of education, and therefore lack of knowledge, regarding the vaccine and HPV consequences are a major barrier to compliance (Richman, 2016). Lack of knowledge greatly influences all three of the major spheres of the Health Belief Model: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived efficacy. “The HBM can be used as a model for health care professionals to help modify behavior…health care providers should specifically focus on emphasizing to their college-aged patients the high risk of acquiring HPV and that the vaccine is effective” (MacArthur, 2017, p. 333). A study by MacArthur examined various aspects of the HBM in relation to HPV vaccine compliance among college students and found that while students believed the vaccine to be efficacious, their perceived threat of the

Cervical cancer is met with a vaccine with both pros and cons to suppress and annihilate it indefinitely. Although both Mike Adams and Arthur Allen inform the audience of the HPV vaccine, Adams vigorously argues, without evidence, that the vaccine is dangerous to humans while Allen is more sedate and discusses opposing sides to the vaccine. The HPV vaccine has its pros and cons to people that it has created debates to come down to the conclusion of a better solution for the drug companies and the people forcing to receive it. Though the HPV vaccine promises to cure cervical cancer, it has received its fair share of criticism.

Many believed or thought that by receiving the HPV vaccination, girls and boys are more likely to engage in sexually risky behavior than girls and boys who did not receive the vaccine. One must ask themselves, does this vaccine actually cause promiscuity among those who have received it? A study was conducted in Ontario to test the effect that the HPV vaccine had on sexual behavior among adolescent girls. The study was conducted on girls in 8th Grade who before (2005-2007) and after (2007-2009) the girls received the vaccine. The results of the study concluded that there was no evidence that the HPV vaccine had any effect on sexual behavior of adolescent girls (Smith, L. M., Kaufman, J. S., Strumpf, E. C., & Lévesque, L. E.). These results suggest that concerns over increased promiscuity following HPV vaccination are unwarranted and should not deter from vaccinating at a young

As the article dives deeper into the HPV vaccine debate some interesting points were brought up. One thing that was very striking was that cervical cancer kills more than five thousand women in America every year and this number increases in developing countries. It would seem that this is enough of a problem to raise a sense of alarm. Another fact that was given was that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. A big reason for this is that there are over two hundred strands of HPV and the diversity of this virus helps it to spread. In order for women to be protected against some of the HPV strands she should receive the vaccine before becoming sexually active. This seems to be the push to get girls vaccinated early. Since the average age of first intercourse is under the age of

In an online survey, the survey administrator and his team asked over fifteen hundred parents of 11-17 year old children whether they agreed that laws requiring HPV vaccination for sixth grade school entry were “a good idea” about half of the parent believed the HPV vaccine, was at least as important as the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines, the other two recommended for adolescent, only forty percent believed the vaccine prevented cervical cancer. Nearly a quarter of the parents inaccurately believed the vaccine might cause long term health problems and one

The discussion section reiterates the primary purpose of this article. However, it also overlooks key data in the discussion and results sections. The prime focus is on how successful they have speculated the outcomes of the parental attitudes towards using the HPV information and the HPV vaccine. Again claiming that those in the intervention group who received the additional information reported a statistically significant increase and their perceived benefit repeatedly laid out in survey gaining 43% more likely to accept the HPV vaccine. However, more data is revealed in the descriptive and qualitative feedback section. Consequently, while the purpose is stated, generally did not determine value of the tested

In June 2006, pharmaceutical company Merck licensed the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, for both males and females. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that this vaccine be administered to females, starting at 11 or 12 years old. According to the MMWR, "genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States; an estimated 14 million persons are newly infected each year" (Markowitz et al., 2014). The Healthy People 2020 plan released four goals (STD-9, 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3) related to reducing the proportion of females with HPV, particularly types 6, 11, 16 and 18. It is hypothesized that the HPV vaccination can prevent HPV strains, particularly those that are underlying factors of cancer. This literature review attempts to