Am I one of the few who reads a headline like this and thinks, wait a minute. Did I really read that? Yes – unfortunately, I did.

Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against certain types of HPV infection, is a recommended vaccine in the US for girls aged 9 to 12 years old. According to statistics, 70% of cervical cancer is caused by two of the strains that are prevented by the Gardasil vaccine. So, for US residents, it’s recommended. As of August 1, 2008, however, all new female immigrants who are between 11 and 26 years old *MUST* receive the vaccine.

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Tags: cancer blog, gardasil, cervical cancer, HPV, HPV vaccine

Am I one of the few who reads a headline like this and thinks, wait a minute. Did I really read that? Yes – unfortunately, I did.

Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against certain types of HPV infection, is a recommended vaccine in the US for girls aged 9 to 12 years old. According to statistics, 70% of cervical cancer is caused by two of the strains that are prevented by the Gardasil vaccine. So, for US residents, it’s recommended. As of August 1, 2008, however, all new female immigrants who are between 11 and 26 years old *MUST* receive the vaccine.

To be fair, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention didn’t swoop in and make this declaration for Gardasil on its own. According to a law that was passed in 1996, if a vaccination is recommended for US residents, it’s a requirement for immigrants. That means, the HPV vaccine is a must.

The problem is though – the vaccine is not very old. There is no reliable data regarding the long-term safety and efficacy, and the government is forcing this upon these young women? That’s just plain wrong, in my mind.

What do you think?

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