Cervical Health Awareness Month Is Almost Over…
January 29, 2008 by Kristen King
Filed under Women's Health
…and I have been sorely remiss in not reminding you of the importance of regular Pap smears and pelvic exams to catch cervical cancer in its early stages and maintain your overall gynecologic health.
We had a lot of controversy surrounding cervical health last year when Texas mandated the HPV vaccine Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, for girls age 9 and up. According to a December 2007 article from the National Conference of State Legislatures, legislators in at least 41 states and the District of Columbia have introduced legislation to require, fund, or educate the public about the human papillomavirus vaccine. Seventeen states have enacted legislation:
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
Also of interest, the New Hampshire Health Department is vaccinating girls under 18 for free, and South Dakota has a simliar plan in development. Additionally 24 states plus DC mandated the HPV vaccine for school.
How do you feel about mandatory vaccinations? Common required vaccines include chickenpox, hepatitis B and C, DTP (diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis), MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b).
My concerns about the HPV vaccine are that (1) it protects against only SOME strains of HPV (a minority, if I’m not mistaken), (2) that it has a limited window of effectiveness, and (3) that it hasn’t been around long enough to ascertain late-onset adverse effects. And I’m still concerned despite the recent report indicating that the vaccine is effective. That doesn’t respond to the long-term effects issue, the only partial protection, or the fact that the government is mandating medical treatment for children. Alarming!
What do you think? Leave a comment.
For more information on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, visit the National Cervical Cancer Coalition.
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Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King
Tags: womens health, woman, health, HPV, human papillomavirus, Gardasil, Merck, mandatory vaccination, texas
