Cover Story

by Benjamin Tertin

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index
Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice

HPV Vaccine Raises Red Flags

The FDA approved the HPV vaccination, which prevents cervical cancer, in June 2006. -- iStockphoto.com/richcano, photo

Jennie Fischer, a 19-year-old Seattle Pacific University student, has received her first of three vaccinations to prevent the world's most common sexually transmitted disease, HPV.

Fischer wants the vaccine -- Gardasil -- to reduce her risk of cervical cancer. Gardasil is the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine produced by Merck & Co. Inc.

"I'm a Christian," Fischer said, "and I don't plan to have sex before I get married. But that doesn't guarantee my husband will have the same history, and I might as well be protected."

In June 2006, the FDA approved the HPV vaccine for females ages 9 to 26, and Merck started airing Gardasil commercials shortly after. The message, "Become one less statistic," convinced Fischer and thousands like her to get vaccinated. She started her vaccination process in September and will acquire two more shots in the next six months.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 80 percent of all women will have had the HPV virus at some point in their lives.

Excitement surrounding Gardasil's release met fierce opposition when legislators in Virginia, Texas, California and Indiana proposed bills to mandate HPV vaccinations for 10- to 12-year-old girls entering public school.

Virginia's bill passed in April 2007, but has been changed to an opt-in program that requires parents to submit a request form if they wish to have their child vaccinated.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry used an executive order to mandate HPV vaccinations, but the state's legislature overturned the decision because of public outcry against the requirement. California's and Indiana's bills failed, and the debate continues.

Mike Mears, the director of state legislative relations for Concerned Women for America, the nation's largest Christian public policy organization for women, said no state has successfully mandated an HPV vaccination thus far, with the exception of Virginia's opt-in program.

"We had the privilege of sitting down with Merck beforehand, and the CWA and pro-family people that attended were impressed," Mr. Mears said. "At that point, although it was in its infant stages, Gardasil was the cancer drug; it was going to save women's lives."

But, Mr. Mears said, Merck never mentioned mandates at those initial meetings. He said significant opposition started with parent groups that, like the CWA, see legal mandates as violations against parental rights. Parents do not want government making decisions about what to inject into children.

Dr. Eva Pickler, an obstetrician/gynecologist and member of the Christian Medical Association, said she opposes mandates unless they include an easy opt-out for parents.

"When you boil it down," Dr. Pickler said, "HPV is a sexually transmitted infection. I hope that I would be able to impress upon my children abstinence first. Then they could get this vaccine to protect them way down the road when they need it.

"But children should not be required to have it in order to go to school when the only way to get the infection is through sexual contact."

Dr. Pickler said more than 100 types of HPV have been identified. She said, "Approximately 30 to 40 types of this disease can infect specifically the genital area, and two types--types 16 and 18--are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer. Types six and 11 are responsible for 90 percent of genital warts, and Gardasil protects against each of these four types, hence the title 'quadrivalent.'"

Most people don't know when they acquire HPV, Dr. Pickler said. "This infection is the first and only identified, necessary cause for human cancer, meaning that you have to have HPV in order to have cervical cancer. Therefore, if you're willing to take steps to prevent the cancer, you have to prevent the prevalence of HPV, and the vaccine will certainly help."

Dr. Pickler strongly urges women to not rely solely on the vaccine, though. "The vaccine does not protect against every type of HPV that can cause cervical cancer," she said, "so it is not a replacement for regular exams and pap smears."

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007 more than 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and approximately 3,600 will die from the disease. According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the No. 5 most common cancer among women.

Dr. Pickler said part of the motivation behind treating girls so early is to catch them before they start having intercourse.

"But at the age of 11 and 12, at least in my professional experience," she said, "you can't guarantee that." The other reason is that, at the younger age, the immune system develops stronger immunity with vaccines, she said.

Dr. Pickler said, though, that no one has completed long-term research to determine whether the initial treatment -- given in three injections over six months -- will adequately protect a woman throughout her life.

Meanwhile, Jennie Fischer said she hopes her HPV vaccination will protect her into her married years. She said she is not opposed to government mandates because they will help vaccinate as many women as possible, but she admitted, "Some people are using it as an excuse for promiscuity."

Fischer said her insurance provider, Geha, had not heard about Gardasil until she requested coverage for the vaccination, and the company ultimately decided to cover her as a preventative measure. She believes that most women who haven't heard about the vaccine have families "who don't want to talk about this sort of thing...a lot because it's an issue related to sex."

In September, Jennie Fischer, who attends Seattle Pacific University, received her first of three vaccinations to protect her from the HPV virus. -- Jennie Fischer, photo

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index
Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice