Daily Dose of MD: HPV Creates Debate
Monday, August 3, 2009
, Posted by Ashleigh Fitzwilliam, CEO and Founder at 1:40 PM
The Human Papilloma Virus is a papilloma virus which infects the mucous orifices of the subject, that being the vagina, penis, and anus. If left untreated HPV, can lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, and anus in women. In men, it can lead to anal and penal cancer. This disease is sexually transmitted, which introduces the main issue of this article. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the HPV vaccine Gardasil, proven to guard against four types of HPV- two types which cause cervical cancer and the remaining two which cause genital warts. Gardasil is available for females aged 9-26. Take note of the young age of 9. The truth is that HPV can easily be contracted- it is a sexually transmitted disease. However, contact with any bodily excretions of an HPV infected individual can surely cause HPV. Being that the HPV vaccine Gardasil has become available to women, starting at age 9, much controversy has emerged within the stark conservative community- Does vaccinating 9 year old females for HPV- a sexually transmitted disease- translate into allowance of sexual misconduct among this age group and those slightly older? Similar to the controversial issue of handing out condoms to young children, the HPV vaccine has equally fueled debate.
From one perspective, an individual's medical health should be of chief importance. Therefore, the HPV vaccine should be made available to young females, just as any other vaccine would be administered to the individual in regular "back-to-school" phyical examinations. On the other spectrum, some argue that administering the HPV vaccine to young children (ages 9-15), erodes the relationship between the parent and the child's medical provider ( in other words, the parents' rights and/or authority are limited when it comes to his/her child's health,) and gives consent to sexual "misconduct" and/or risky sexual behaviors among the younger population. What do you think about this issue?
Currently have 0 comments: