Should Schools Mandate Vaccinations Against human papillomavirus(HPV), An STD?
The AP ran with the headline: Texas Requires Cancer Vaccine for Girls , which is a bit misleading. HPV, is an STD that can lead to lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Texas is now mandating a vaccination. How do you feel about that? Do you feel comfortable having the schools mandate this?:
Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, making Texas the first state to require the shots.
The girls will have to get Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of thehuman papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it Gardasil vaccine for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.
Merck is bankrolling the lobbyists. The vaccine is a 3 shot regimen that runs $360.Â
Here’s the New York Times report:
“The vote all but commits the federal government to spend as much as $2 billion alone on a program to buy the vaccine for the nation’s poorest girls from 11 to 18.
“The vaccine, Gardasil, protects against cancer and genital warts by preventing infection from four strains of the human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted disease, according to federal health officials. The virus is also a cause of other cancers in women.”
If you think 11 sounds young for sex, how about age 9–the recommended age in some cases?
But there are a few hitches–such as parents who, uh, balk at the idea of telling prepubescent girls that it’s just fine for them to have all the sex they want, ‘cuz now they’ll be vaccinated! And isn’t it against the law to have sex with children? As the Times concedes:
“But Gardasil’s benefits could be blunted by a complex brew of practical, economic and religious considerations. On the practical side, Gardasil is supposed to be given as three shots over six months. While pediatricians and government health agencies have long been successful in having parents adhere to complex vaccination schedules for infants, older children are more difficult to manage.
“Another challenge is Gardasil’s price. At $360 for the three-shot regimen, it is among the most expensive vaccines ever. Because cervical cancer is mostly a disease of poverty, those in most need of the vaccine will be the least able to afford it. State vaccination programs, already under financial strain, may refuse to provide it.”
I wasn’t aware that cancers knew ones financial status, were you? Medicaid, government sponsored healthcare for poverty stricken people, picks up the tab for Pap smears , which is the best way to determine if a woman has abnormal cells. Abnormal cells can lead to cancer. The problem is getting the poverty stricken women to make appointments.
What are your thoughts?
February 3, 2007 - 12:31 AM on February 3rd, 2007
My understanding is that the parent can have the children opt out of it if they wish, at least that is what I heard on Fox.
February 3, 2007 - 08:30 AM on February 3rd, 2007
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Conservative groups say such provisions still interfere with parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children
February 3, 2007 - 11:02 AM on February 3rd, 2007
So I don’t understand- if folks can have their children opt out, then what’s the problem? The parent’s can still make the medical decision.
February 3, 2007 - 03:09 PM on February 3rd, 2007
A couple of problems here:
1. You don’t just get to say no thanks, you need to fill out legal paperwork to have your child excluded.
2. The school system is telling you to have your 9 year old vaccinated against an STD…not the place of the school to get involved. Measles, mumps, chicken pox, and rubella are all diseases that are communicable through airborn germs, this particular disease involves an act, that the last time I checked, was an illegal act for minors…
3. What are the side effects of the vaccine? How far back does the long term study go?
So I guess I see lots of problems with it..
February 3, 2007 - 04:06 PM on February 3rd, 2007
I agree that there’s a tendency to overvaccinate in this country, to push for things like Hepatitis vaccines without an attentiveness to the risks. Too few parents do the sort of research that they should to protect their children.
Still, a lot of vaccines provide life-long protection. I assume that the reasoning behind the vaccine is, even if the kids aren’t screwing now, they will be in ten years and they’ll be protected.
February 3, 2007 - 05:33 PM on February 3rd, 2007
I agree that some vaccines provide life long protection, but I’m a bit curious as to why boys wouldn’t receive the immunization as well. According to all the research I have done, males are carriers, just as females are, yet we never seem to talk about male health issues in this country..I am also troubled by the fact that Perry signed an executive order rather than having it go through the legislature…
February 3, 2007 - 05:43 PM on February 3rd, 2007
“‘m a bit curious as to why boys wouldn’t receive the immunization as well.”
Because boys can’t get cervix cancer.
February 3, 2007 - 05:51 PM on February 3rd, 2007
7- No kidding but they can get cancer of the penis which is in the very 1st paragraph: HPV, is an STD that can lead to lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis.
If males are carriers, they too should be getting immunized.
February 3, 2007 - 05:57 PM on February 3rd, 2007
8.
hmmm… first I’ve ever heard of that. I wonder if there is as high as an atrributable rate?
February 3, 2007 - 10:00 PM on February 3rd, 2007
The fact that you haven’t heard it is what I want to talk about… Men/boys need to be educated about their health risks just as much as women are. For whatever reason, it is always left out of the discussion… That is just wrong..Men need to be on a checkup schedule just as women are. Girls learn about the importance of breast exams and regular pap smears. Boys should learn about the issues pertaining to their bodies. The 2 biggies that come to mind are prostate and colorectal exams. When and where do young men learn this? Sadly, far too often, it’s when there is already a problem.
As for this test…if you know that both sexes are carriers, it seems to me that you could come up with a vaccine for both sexes. I am all for preventative medicine, but let’s protect everyone. Let’s try to eradicate the disease, and in order to do it, you need to treat both sexes.
February 3, 2007 - 10:16 PM on February 3rd, 2007
Schools should not be allowed to force pupils to take shots of anything especialy RITLIN:mad: