Upon investigating information about Gardasil, a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), I came across this great article discussing the HPV vaccination and its requirement in schools. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide and can cause genital warts and cervical cancer. In 2006, the FDA approved Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine against some of the strains of HPV. After its approval, several states have passed laws making HPV vaccination mandatory for minor girls to enter school (middle or high school). Other legislation that has been passed in some states with regard to the HPV vaccination include providing state funding to defray or eliminate the cost, educate the public, and establish committees to make recommendations about the vaccination.
It seems unwise to mandate a vaccine in schools when it hasn’t even been approved for very long. Additionally the HPV vaccination is against an STI which as its name implies is transmitted sexually. Why should we make every young woman be vaccinated when she may not even be sexually-active? HPV is not typically transmitted in school, at least not in the way other diseases are transmitted. This vaccination is different than others that are mandated which are against diseases that are highly contagious and/or associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the long-term safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine are not clear. There have been several cases reported of severe adverse effects, including death in patients that were administered the HPV vaccine. Also, HPV is not immediately life-threatening. Considering all these reasons along with additional information mentioned in the article I don’t think we should make HPV vaccination a requirement in school-aged children.
I do believe vaccinations are beneficial and the ones that are currently mandated for school attendance are appropriate. My only concern is in implementing the HPV vaccine as a requirement for school attendance without more research and evaluation of the long-term effects. It doesn’t seem fair to require grade-school children to take a vaccination when all the risks haven’t been fully evaluated. Currently parents can opt-out of the HPV vaccination, but why make it a requirement in the first place? Although the HPV vaccination seems promising, it shouldn’t be mandated in schools.
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I completely agree with you that more testing on the HPV vaccination should be conducted before they mandate all girls to have this vaccination. Personally, I think the decision to have the vaccination should be made by the parents and not enforced by the government. The harmful side effects should be avoided and more testing conducted.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. While I am 100% behind this vaccine, I do not think that it should be required in order to enter school. Schools require immunization records of the measles, chicken pox or the mumps because these are transmitted purely through contact, coughing or sneezing. A student has the right to go to school in a relatively healthy environment without contracting a highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease. But with HPV, this is a different story. While students do get the HPV virus, is not because they went to classes that day. I think it is smart for people to get this vaccine, but it should not be required.
ReplyDeleteThe American Public Health Association recently published an article addressing the many myths associated with the HPV vaccine, to include its lack of safety. According to the CDC, as of June 2011 approximately 35 million doses of Gardasil have been administered in the United States, there were 18,000 adverse events, of which more than 90% were non-serious events, such as fainting, swelling of the injection site, and headache.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, once women are sexually active the majority will be exposed to HPV, about 6 million people in US become infected with HPV each year and 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, leading to 4,000 deaths. I may not necessarily agree with requiring youth to be vaccinated, however, I do believe that if they are vaccinated Gardasil has proven to be a safe vaccine and their risks of contracting HPV, once they do become sexually active, will be significantly reduced.
For the APHA article on the HPV vaccine, visit the link below:
http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/41/9/1.1.full
I think this should be put as a mandatory vaccine for school age children. The reason most parents have admitted they do not want to get their children the vaccine is because they do not want to promote sexual activity among adolescent children. Most do not research the potential side effects, how the vaccine works or even how it will protect their child in the long run. As far as not getting a vaccine when it has only been out for almost 7 years, people should read the literature that is presented and the studies submitted that show a very large decrease in the prevalence of HPV associated with cervical cancer and genital warts. When H1N1 came into circulation, they had a vaccine ready within a year and people readily took it without considering any of the side effects that could go along with it. I understand that testing flu vaccines is a different process than some other vaccines but H1N1 was a new virus to appear in the U.S. and because of the fear that came with it people were willing to blindly take a new vaccine. There should be no difference with the HPV vaccine. People should fear for their children who could potentially contract the disease when they become sexually active. It may not cause problems right away but could be detrimental to their well-being later on because it is not treatable.
ReplyDeletePolitics play a huge role in the perpetuation of the debate of the safety of the HPV vaccine. Politicians are using this vaccination as a way to garner favor among constituents playing on parental fear for the safety of their children. Many of these parents fail to do research about the disease and how the vaccination works. They do not understand the manner in which the disease is carried and transmitted. They hear sexually transmitted infection and immediately put their guards up. I do not think the vaccine should be mandated for school attendance, but I do think parents need to be educated about the risks of not being vaccinated. I found the link to the CDC’s report on the risks associated with the HPV vaccine.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html
Here is a link to how the HPV vaccine is being present by politians.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/after-debate-bachmann-questions-safety-of-hpv-vaccine-for-girls/2011/09/13/gIQAynNfPK_story.html
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ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that the CDC is now considering whether or not to recommend this vaccine for boys since it is believed it can protect them against genital herpes and other cancers that are linked to the various HPV strains. I wonder if schools will mandate all students be vaccinated if the CDC does make this recommendation or if schools will only require girls?
ReplyDeleteI personally think schools requiring vaccinations of anything that is considered contagious is a good idea. I do like the idea of mandating Gardasil because it protects the students who are sexually active but for whatever reason haven't told their parents.
This is a great blog topic! The HPV vaccine is proving to be quite controversial. Like Nicole mentioned, the majority of adverse events associated with the vaccine have been non-serious and much of the controversy isn't due to it's potential side effects, but more because HPV is a sexually transmitted infection. The health effects of HPV should be more of a concern, such as cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in women and anal cancers in men and women. There is evidence that suggests HPV may also cause throat cancers in men and women as a result of oral sex.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very timely, as yesterday the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that boys and young men should be vaccinated against HPV. With HPV being the most common sexually transmitted disease and with more than one in five boys and girls having had vaginal sex by the age of 15, I don't think it is such a bad idea for schools to mandate the vaccine. If it is required for both girls and boys before the average age of onset of sexual activity, I think it could be highly effective in reducing the spread of HPV.
Then I think the question becomes, is it cost effective? The HPV vaccine is expensive and who will be responsible for covering these costs?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/health/policy/26vaccine.html?_r=1&ref=health
This topic is becoming pretty controversial, just last night on FOXnews there was a story about immunizing the boys as well. The CDC recommended immunizing all boy ages 11 -12. In my opinion, I think this is a giant step forward, its like two birds with one stone. Immunizing against HPV and preventing cervical cancer.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/25/cdc-backs-hpv-vaccine-for-boys/
I agree that it should be mandated in schools. Even if young girls(or boys) are not yet sexually active this vaccine should be administered before they are exposed to the virus. It is my understanding that the vaccine can be good for a long period of time (years). Parents may feel that allowing this vaccine may be promoting sexual activity which is understandable, but if their kids are having sex and are unprotected that can lead to more uncomfortable situations.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone has mentioned that it's thought that the vaccine will protect against a significant fraction of head and neck cancers (those which are caused by HPV) too. These are among the most disfiguring and untreatable cancers, so that should be an added incentive to vaccinate.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think this brings up an interesting topic and although I absolutely think it is a great idea to for both girls and boys to receive the vaccine, I don’t think it should be mandated for school. However, I think if they are going to mandate it for girls than it should be for boys as they also have health risks with HPV. Albeit, most men who get HPV may not show symptoms or health risks, they are still carriers and can transmit it to women and cause some serious concerns. I do not disagree with mandating it because of fear of side effects or because it may lead to some potentially dangerous condition because the pros far out way the cons (as the statistics provided above suggest) but I think it is ultimately the decision of parents to decide if its right for there children and it is something they want. Reason being is because of what another poster mentioned that most mandated vaccines are those that are contracted through contact, coughing and sneezing and thus vaccines are essential to providing a healthy and safer environment for children. HPV on the other hand is a sexually transmitted diseases and I don’t see the need for it to be mandated to provide a safe schooling environment.
ReplyDeleteAt this point with the HPV vaccine’s pros far out way the cons and think people should not make such a huge deal about side effects that MAY occur. This happens with all vaccines and almost all have a slight chance of causing some terrible condition. For instance, some people may fear the flew shot because it may lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome (a mere 1 in 2 cases per million vaccinated!). Compared to how many people die from the flu, this number seems a little more acceptable.
Just as a side note this reminded me of a video about Penn and Teller talking about anti-vaccine thoughts and an interesting perspective on vaccinated populations vs unvaccinated.
If you want to check it out.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfdZTZQvuCo
I think because HPV is spread sexually girls should not be mandated to receive the vaccine. Although I do support this vaccine, I believe it should be the parent's decision whether to vaccinate or not. Unlike other diseases, which can be spread through coughing and germs living on surfaces in the classroom, in order to contract HPV the child can control whether or not they put themselves at risk for infection. This is why it is important to explain the risks of not only HPV, but all STI's to children.
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