I recently made my position reasonably clear on the issue of mass immunization. Generally speaking I am against it and I am very well aware of the associated issues. However, I do consider that it is appropriate in some circumstances, I simply insist that recipients are thoroughly informed of the potential risks and potential benefits and are never steamrolled into being immunized.
I don’t wish to elaborate on my position here. I only mention it because in this article I want to do something unusual: actually recommend that women who are sexually active or who intend to become sexually active seriously consider a brand new vaccine that confers significant protection against cervical cancer.
The vaccine was developed in Australia and is now owned and marketed by the Merck pharmaceutical corporation. The vaccine is called Gardasil and it has proven effective in preventing precancerous lesions and early-stage cancers associated with virus types 16 and 18 among women who remain free of infection until they receive their final dose of the vaccine.
A very large percentage of cases of cervical cancers are known to be caused by specific viral infections passed on by sexual contact. These cancers are therefore the result of a venereal disease. Women who have no sexual contacts who may pass on the virus are considered extremely low risk candidates for this disease.
However, the disease is very common. Such cancers kill about 300,000 women worldwide each year, including almost 4,000 in the United States. Having seen many women die from cervical cancer and seen the effects on their families, the development of this new vaccine is one I welcome.
The two forms of sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, types 16 and 18, are responsible for an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. It is likely that additional protection will be afforded by updated vaccines in the future.
No one should be forced or pressured into having this vaccine, but it does represent a dramatic improvement in risk reduction for sexually active women. Not everyone needs the vaccine, but those for whom it may be of benefit should seriously consider it when it becomes widely available.
