Human Papillomavirus
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases affecting more than 20 million American women. Every year, more than 6.2 million people become infected. At least fifty perfect of sexually active Americans will contract some type of HPV in their life. Most women will fight the infection on their own but other women will not.
The high prevalence of HPV in addition to the causal association to cervical cancer has led to the development of Gardasil, a prophylactic vaccine that that helps protect against four types of human papillomavirus: two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases (HPV16 and 18), and two more types (HPV 6 and 11) that cause 90% of genital warts cases (Pallecaros & Vonau, 541). In
June of 2006, Gardasil was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for females age nine to twenty six years old. Arthur Allen, writer and journalist, states “In trials completed last year, the HPV vaccine was shown to prevent 70 percent of the growths that lead to cervical cancer, which strikes 14,000 American women each year, killing one-fourth of them”(Ackley 111 ).
School would be a good place for girls to receive the HPV vaccine because it is a place where they will be made aware of how important and serious HPV can be. Also, school is a place where it can be given to girls at an age where they most likely have not had sexual contact yet. However, many people in the United States have decided to oppose the HPV vaccine in school because they feel that it may be an encouragement for young girls to participate in sexual intercourse. Sexuality is a part of life and will be encountered by everyone at some point. It is impractical to not acknowledge that it is a part of everyday life. I believe that ignoring HPV now will only cause that and other sexually transmitted diseases to spread further and cause it to become a larger threat to humanity. The vaccine will eliminate many cases of sexually transmitted diseases that are contracted and will make the world safer for each person who receives it.
The high prevalence of HPV in addition to the causal association to cervical cancer has led to the development of Gardasil, a prophylactic vaccine that that helps protect against four types of human papillomavirus: two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases (HPV16 and 18), and two more types (HPV 6 and 11) that cause 90% of genital warts cases (Pallecaros & Vonau, 541). In
June of 2006, Gardasil was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for females age nine to twenty six years old. Arthur Allen, writer and journalist, states “In trials completed last year, the HPV vaccine was shown to prevent 70 percent of the growths that lead to cervical cancer, which strikes 14,000 American women each year, killing one-fourth of them”(Ackley 111 ).
School would be a good place for girls to receive the HPV vaccine because it is a place where they will be made aware of how important and serious HPV can be. Also, school is a place where it can be given to girls at an age where they most likely have not had sexual contact yet. However, many people in the United States have decided to oppose the HPV vaccine in school because they feel that it may be an encouragement for young girls to participate in sexual intercourse. Sexuality is a part of life and will be encountered by everyone at some point. It is impractical to not acknowledge that it is a part of everyday life. I believe that ignoring HPV now will only cause that and other sexually transmitted diseases to spread further and cause it to become a larger threat to humanity. The vaccine will eliminate many cases of sexually transmitted diseases that are contracted and will make the world safer for each person who receives it.