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COLUMN BY SUSAN HILL |
PREVIOUS COLUMNSArtificial Sweeteners—Are They a Sweet Deal—or Not Extremes at Both Ends - Anorexia and Bulimia to Obesity Making sense of Cholesterol's ABCs |
Vaccinate Our Daughters Against Cancer
posted 06/16/2008 More than 11,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year. Another 50,000 women are found to have a type of early cervical cancer known as carcinoma-in-situ. Worldwide, half a million women are diagnosed with cervical cancer yearly. In the U. S. alone, over 3,600 women will die of cervical cancer this year. | |
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Research over the past two decades has shown that the human papilloma virus (HPV), epidemic throughout the world, is the biologic agent that causes cervical cancer. Just 40 years ago, cervical cancer was the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. |
With 50% of the population infected with the HPV virus at some point, there is a high likelihood our daughters will become exposed. Gardasil vaccine is 99% effective in preventing infection. | |
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Even today, women in poor and developing countries do not have the access that we have to health screening and Pap smears. Their cervical cancer is frequently discovered too late-and it takes their lives. How wonderful that we can now prevent the infection that causes cervical cancer and save the lives of women and the devastation this disease causes them and their families. The Center for Communicable Disease (CDC) estimates that in the U. S. alone, about 6.2 million people become infected with the virus every year and 50% of all women and men are infected at some time in their lives. It is the number one most common sexually transmitted disease. In other words, it is now almost impossible to be a sexual adult without being exposed to the HPV virus. Decades of vigilance in vaccinating the world population for small pox has resulted in eradication of this disease. Similarly, polio is on the same track to be eradicated. Now we have the potential to markedly decrease the incidence of cervical cancer. Vaccines are truly changing the face of disease on our planet. Gardasil vaccine research involved over 20,000 women on five continents for over five years. This very safe vaccine was found to have 99% effectiveness in preventing HPV infection and is well tolerated. It contains no mercury and no thimerosal preservative. The vaccine does not contain any live virus or DNA so the vaccine cannot cause HPV infection. Rather, it triggers the body's immune system to ward off infection if exposed to the virus in the future. The HPV virus has 77 different strains, but strains 16 and 18 have been found to cause 70- 90% of cervical cancers. Gardasil vaccine, approved for use in the U. S. since June 2006, contains both of these strains as well as strains 6 and 11 which cause 90% of genital warts. Other strains of the HPV virus have been implicated in head and neck cancers and research is ongoing. | ||
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Gardasil vaccine is given as a series of three doses over a six month period and costs about $120 dollars per dose. The cost is generally covered by health insurance and is provided free or at a discount through health departments and college campus student health centers. Additional studies are also underway to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccinating young men as well as young women. Currently, the CDC and the American Cancer Society recommend vaccination of young girls and women aged 9 to 26 years, with optimal age of vaccination at age 11-12 years. Why so young? |
Gardasil Vaccine Vaccinate between ages 9-26 years. Series of three vaccines over six mos. Contains no mercury or thimerosal. Covered by most insurance plans. | |
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The goal is to vaccinate before the onset of sexual activity, to prevent infection with the virus before exposure and thus virtually eliminate the risk for cervical cancer. If a young woman is already infected with one of the high risk strains of the virus, she may have developed abnormal pap smears. The vaccine may not be effective in this case but if she has no apparent infection, vaccination is a very good idea. Either way, continuing regular Pap smear screening is a must. Developed in the 1930s, the Pap Smear screens for early detection of cervical cancer. Due to this test, the death rate from cervical cancer has since declined by 75%. With the advent of HPV vaccines, we now have the opportunity to take a giant step forward and prevent the vast majority of cervical cancers in women. Vaccinating our daughters with Gardasil is important-it is one of the few ways we can really protect our girls as they enter the world of womanhood.
Susan C. Hill © 2008 To comment on the column, email susan@sanjuanislander.com |
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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