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Throughout the month of January, women are observing Cervical Health Awareness Month. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), each year in the U.S., approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. More than 4,000 women die as a result of cervical cancer annually. However, cervical cancer is preventable.
A new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine indicates girls who receive HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix may overestimate the amount of protection the drug offers. According to the report, funded by the National Institutes of Health, some girls think they no longer have to practice safe sex after receiving the vaccination, or that they are protected from all types of HPV or protected from HPV indefinitely. In fact, vaccines such as Gardasil only protect against four of hundreds of types of HPV, and the vaccine’s effectiveness diminishes after about five to seven years.
In this week’s GOP Presidential debate, candidate Michele Bachmann criticized Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry for his attempt to mandate the use of Gardasil in his state. Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, is promoted as a preventive treatment against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus linked to the development of cervical cancer. Following a public outcry in the state of Texas, the mandate was overturned. Bachmann objected to the mandate for political reasons, but also expressed concerns that any parent might feel about being required to give their child a relatively new vaccine, about possible adverse side effects.
There is much debate about the vaccine Gardasil, which was introduced in 2006 for girls, and marketed as a weapon against cervical cancer. The vaccine actually targets human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that is linked to the development of cervical cancer. While originally targeted only at girls and young women, the FDA recently expanded approval of the drug for use in boys and young men, to prevent the spread of HPV.
Gardasil, a vaccine manufactured by Merck and promoted as a prevention for cervical cancer, was approved by the FDA in 2006. Later the same month, the vaccine was added to a list of recommended vaccines for girls ages 11-12 years. This, despite the fact that the first phase 3 trials of the vaccine were not yet complete. It would be almost a year later – May 2007 – before these studies were complete. Why the big rush?
A writer on the blog site buzzle.com, a news and information clearinghouse website, recently posted an article urging parents to use caution when making a choice about the Gardasil vaccine. The mother of an 11-year-old girl, author Anastacia Mott Austin says young girls receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are like “guinea pigs,” because the vaccine has not been properly tested for long-range consequences on a large sample of girls in its target age group. The vaccine is currently recommended by the FDA for girls beginning as young as age 9, through about age 26, for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Two years after HPV-vaccine Gardasil was introduced to the public in 2006, CNN examined reports of serious adverse side effects linked to the drug. Gardasil is marketed primarily to young women, as a preventive treatment against cervical cancer. It protects against four types of human papillomavirus, which is linked to causing cervical cancer. However, some medical experts argue the vaccine is unnecessary, as the body naturally clears more than 90 percent of HPV, and cervical cancer can be detected with an annual pap smear.
A recent lecture presented by Southern Methodist University’s Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility, in collaboration with SMU’s Department of Anthropology, examined the ethical questions of pharmaceutical company Merck’s marketing of its Gardasil vaccine. The drug, fast-tracked for approval in 2006 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was aggressively marketed as a preventive for cervical cancer.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently added Gardasil to its list of recommended vaccines for young men starting at age 9, for the prevention of genital warts. The vaccine, which protects against four strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) already was recommended for girls by the age of 11 or 12 as a preventive measure against cervical cancer. However, parents should carefully weigh the pros and cons of this relatively new vaccine, which was approved by the FDA in 2006. Thousands of adverse event reports are attached to the vaccine, and it has been linked to more than 50 deaths.
A recent news report says the prevalence and promotion of cervical cancer vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix may cause women who are vaccinated to skip vital medical screening that could save their lives. According to the story in a recent edition of Australia’s News Limited publication, The Advertiser, studies indicate women believe receiving the vaccine makes annual Pap smears unnecessary. However, because cervical cancer vaccines only protect against a few of the hundreds of types of human papillomavirus (HPV), Pap smears are still a very important part of being protected against cervical cancer.
