No Compuslory Vaccination for HPV

Filed in archive Sexual Health on February 23, 2007

About three weeks ago, I wrote an article on compulsory vaccination for HPV -human papillomavirus for women 9 to 26. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes HPV this way:

Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.

Because of a lot of negative media publicity brought about by the voices of lobbyists, Merck has decided to stop the push for this legislation.However, according to CNN Money.com:

Merck said it will continue other education efforts to encourage widespread use of Gardasil. GARDASIL is the only vaccine that may help guard against diseases that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

According to Women's Health at About.com:

Twenty-four million Americans may have the human papillomavirus (HPV), yet more than 76 percent of women in the United States have never heard of this sexually transmitted virus which causes virtually 100 percent of all cervical cancers.