Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Vaccine for Cervical Cancer

Earlier this summer the FDA approved the first vaccine for the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is one of the major causes of certain cervical cancers. Cervical cancer hits 10,000 American women every year, killing more than 3,700.

The vaccine, called Gardasil and developed by Merck & Co., was approved for girls and women ages 9 [through] 26. It is most useful if given to younger girls, because the vaccine is ineffective once the virus -- which is very common among sexually active people -- is already present.
Some conservative social organizations have expressed concern that the vaccine could encourage young girls and women to engage in more sexual activity. As a result, there is a concern that unintended pregnancies or other sexually transmitted diseases could rise.

Life is full of tradeoffs!

1 comment:

SammiMcClelland said...

I am actually doing a persuasive essay on the HPV vaccinations for Comm. I am very supportive of anything that has a 100% chance of preventing 70% of types of cervical cancer and 100% types of genital warts. Naturally, many weigh the costs of the vaccine, such as possible increased sexual activity in young girls. But, let's be realistic. If young people want to have sex, they will, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not. In the long run, we must remember that the many pros of Gardasil far outweigh the cons. Maybe even one day, it will lead to vaccines against other cancers.