HPV Vaccine Pros and Cons

An estimated 300,000 women die each year from cervical cancer, 70% of which are caused by the sexually transmitted disease, HPV (Lee 1). How can we solve this overwhelming problem? Miraculously, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer (Ballaro 1). Some believe that the newly approved vaccine should be widely spread as a means of eliminating this deadly disease, while others think it was solely generated for a pharmaceutical firm rather than to promote public health (Otis 1). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus named from the papilla, or bud, that the virus triggered tumor creates (Ballaro 3). HPV is passed on through genital or skin to skin contact (Ballaro 3). At least half of all sexually active people will be infected with HPV at some point during their lifetime (Ballaro 3). HPV is an alarmingly serious issue in the world today and needs to be taken seriously. In the summer of 2006, the FDA gave its approval to the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and other gynecological diseases developed by Merck Pharmaceuticals (Ballaro 1). The vaccine was later trade- named Gardasil, which specifically targets four types of HPV responsible for causing most cases of cervical cancer (Ballaro 1). Public Health officials summoned the decision as a double breakthrough. From their perspective, Gardasil represents not only a win in the war against cancer, but also a victory in regulatory reform (Ballaro 1). This vaccine has the potential to eliminate HPV all together and ultimately save thousands of lives. But one of the major traits of this vaccine that makes it so unappealing to many women and families is the fact that it is only effective if it is used before you are infected, therefore it is being urged to vaccinate girls as young as nine years old. In some ways, giving this vaccine to such a young girl can give her the wrong message, making her think that since she is vaccinated it is okay to be sexually active with perhaps multiple partners. Some argue that if we teach our daughters abstinence right off the bat, there will be no need for such a vaccine at such a young age. Along with this controversy, the idea that Gardasil was solely a money maker is also at topic. The vaccine is administered in three doses at a total cost of $375. Merck is able to set such a high rate for the vaccine because it is the sole supplier of the treatment. Nearly nine million girls’ ages 10 to 14 in the United States alone were predicted to get the vaccine, meaning Gardasil earns roughly $3.2 billion in a single year. Along with this idea, most American girls and women receive regular Pap smears, which can detect cervical cancer in its early stages. If discovered in a timely fashion, cervical cancer is fairly easy to treat. So if we teach our girls to be abstinent early on and to make sure they receive regular Pap smears the need for such an expensive vaccination becomes virtually irrelevant.