HPV vaccinations
- 1. Leah Shields HPV Vaccination June 13, 2007 SPC 2600-Kameron Carden Purpose: By the end of my speech, the audience will go get vaccinated for the HPV vaccine and share this information with others. Introduction: According to a report and survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. What’s more frightening is that at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. With over a 100 strands of HPV what’s so important about the four that are eliminated by the vaccine? How is the HPV vaccine related to cervical cancer and genital warts? Just where can you get vaccinated and what is the cost and process you must go through? Who can receive it? With so many questions like these and more, how do you know if the vaccine is right for you and others close to you that may be at risk? With the information that I provide I hope that each of you will be educated on the topic and feel as strongly as I do to go to the Student Health Care Center and start the series. Blueprint: On February 5, 2007 Texas Governor Rick Perry mandated that girls entering the sixth grade must be vaccinated with the HPV vaccine beginning September 2008 according to the Los Angeles Times. This is just the start of many more states gaining insight on just how essential the vaccine is to the future of women’s health. Getting the vaccine will protect against many harmful and prominent diseases and infections that afflict millions annually. Any woman can be infected with HPV that leads to cervical cancer if they are not vaccinated by their gynecologist or physician so it is important that girls aged 9- 26 receive it. I. The Background on the Virus and Its Effects. A. HPV- a History. 1 There are approximately 40 types of genital HPV and it is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. About 6.2 million people are infected annually. 2. The disease is transmitted through sexual contact and effects both men and women most often with no symptoms and goes away on its own. The high risk strands that do not go away without lasting effects cause cervical cancer in women while the low strands can cause genital warts in males and females. B. Cervical Cancer 1. According to the American Cancer Society it was estimated in 2005 that there were 10,370 new case of cervical cancer diagnosed in the US while 3,710 died from the disease. Some forms of HPV effect the lining and cells around the cervix that become precancerous if the body does not eliminate them itself. Then it can become cancer. 2. The usual way to detect abnormal cervical cells is through a Pap test. Some women may receive HPV DNA testing and possible biopsy. An abnormal biopsy result may be reported as CIN, or cervical intraepithelial
- 2. neoplasia, along witha number that indicates the thickness that contains abnormal cells. CIN 3 means there are severely abnormal cervical cells throughout the lining. 3. The cells are usually treated by freezing, instrumental removal or conventional surgery and then are thoroughly inspected for cancers. Transition: Now that we have a more formal understanding of HPV and cervical cancer we can talk about the vaccine and how important it is for girls and women to receive it. II. The Vaccine-It’s Use and Purpose A. Gardasil-Merck & CO., Inc. 1. An inactivated vaccine that protects against 4 major types of HPV ( 6,11,16,18). 2 Cause approximately 70% of cervical cancers and 2 cause 90% of genital warts. 2. It is routinely recommended for girls ages 11-12 but doctors can give it to girls as young as 9 and as old as 26. It is important to give it to girls at this early age before they are exposed to sexual contact and a HPV strand which ensures that they are covered for the four disease types 100%. 3. It is given in 3 doses over a 6-8 month period. According to CDC spokesperson Curtis Allen the vaccine should cost a total of $360.00 dollars. At the Student Health Care Center here at UF each dose is $150.00 dollars for a total of $450.00. Many health insurances are picking up the vaccine as a covered vaccination as it becomes more prevalent in the regular series received by children by their pediatricians. 4. Some side effects include pain at the injection site, redness or swelling, mild fever and itching at the injection site. These do not last long and go away on their own. B. Cervarix-GlaxoSmithKline 1. Like Gardasil it is a HPV vaccine used to protect women from cervical cancers. Unlike Gardasil though it has not been approved officially by the FDA. 2. It also protects against the strands 16 and 18 that cause 70% of all cervical cancers but it also is said to protect against strands 45 and 31 that also can cause cancer. 3. It is also said to have a helper chemical or adjuvant that can help it last longer in the body, estimated 4.5 years. C. The Controversy 1. Doctor of Pediatrics Vincent Iannelli, M.D. received input from his patients legal guardians and parents on the vaccine in is Dallas, TX practice. Parents of girls to receive the vaccine feel that is wrong to expose their pre-teens to a vaccine that protects them from a STD. Others parents might not want a vaccine against a STD at all, believing that their children could not be at risk. Still others find that the HPV vaccines might encourage promiscuity , since it could foster the belief that it protects against all STDs. He on the other hand offers this advice to parents of young patients “ This cancer is the second leading causing deaths in women in our country, if there is any way to not have to watch them fight that why oppose such an opportunity.” And although cervical cancer usually effects women 35-55 years old those women were exposed to the HPV strand between the ages of 15-24. 2. Just like Texas Gov. Perry many states lawmaking bodies are now issuing similar forms or legislation to be passed. His statement following his mandate “The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer, : adding, “ Requiring young
- 3. girls to getvaccinated before they come into contact with HPV is responsible health and fiscal policy.” Conclusion: In 2000 9.2 million young adults, 15 to 24 years of age, had genital HPV. The sooner more people understand and are educated on the severity of this virus and associated diseases the faster we can reduce numbers like that. The benefits of receiving the vaccine outweigh the costs that are associated whether parents are forced with a personal value issue they do not live in the generation with the highest incidence of genital HPV in history. See for yourself and read the reports on the vaccine online at HPV.com or contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/std/hpv. Easier than that would be taking a walk over to the special clinics office of immunizations at the Student Health Care Center and talk to an immunization specialist. Tell someone you love, a wife, daughter, niece.