Guard Against Gardasil

Within the last two years, you may heard about or seen commercials for a new vaccine called Gardasil. It’s commonly advertised as a vaccine against cervical cancer. But if you listen to the commercials carefully or read anything about the drug, it’s not a vaccine against cancer. It’s a vaccine against an STD called Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer. U.S. News and World Report states, “HPV is believed to infect about half of sexually active women in North America, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported, making it the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in modern times. Only a relatively small number of those infected go on to develop cervical cancer.” A New York Times article from Feb. 2007 says, “Gardasil protects against two strains of H.P.V. that cause about 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer as well as two other strains that cause genital warts.” While the two articles differ on how many cases of HPV turn into cervical cancer, the point is that this vaccine is one that prevents an STD, not cervical cancer.

So basically it’s a drug that gives women the hope of fighting off some of the negative consequences that result from a sexually promiscuous lifestyle. I’m aware that you can contract STDs other ways besides being sexually promiscuous, but I’m willing to bet that’s not how most people get them.

What really irritates me is that this vaccine is being pushed for girls and women ages 11-26. It’s been approved for use in girls as young as 9. Are you kidding? Nine? Eleven? They’re not even teenagers!

What irritates me even more is the fact that within a few short months of this drug being released on the market, legislation started popping up all over the place to make this a mandatory vaccine for all females age 11-26. Why does this bother me? Let me see if I can sum it up:

• I don’t like the government requiring me to vaccinate my eleven year old daughter against the consequences of sexual immorality while I’m trying to instill in her the value of sexual purity. It just doesn’t jive well with me.
• I’m not ok with being required to give my daughter a vaccine that has barely been on the market for two years. According to the New York Times article mentioned above, “Typically new vaccines, like the one for chicken pox in the mid-1990’s, have been rolled out gradually in this country, with public health officials endorsing mandatory use only after several years of experience have shown the new products to be generally safe and effective.” Remember that legislation started appearing in courts only a few months after this drug was released. Why? Vaccines for adolescents that ward off whooping cough and meningitis have been introduced over the last few years, and no one is trying to make those mandatory yet. Why not? Why just this one vaccine? By the way, many of the government officials sponsoring these bills to make Gardasil mandatory are receiving funding from Merck, the drug company producing Gardasil.
• Another interesting point from that New York Times article: “Gardasil and another vaccine under development by the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline are aimed at the human papilloma virus, or H.P.V., which is known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Analysts see a potential $5 billion a year market for H.P.V. vaccines, and some say that Merck is intent on inoculating as many girls as possible before the introduction of Glaxo’s product, which could become available this year.”

Reality Check - Please be wise consumers. Listen. Don’t take everything at face value. Think. Use your brain. You are a sheep among wolves. Be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents.

If you want more info, please read the articles above for yourselves. Also check out this and this.