A vaccine that protects against the sexually transmitted infection human papilloma virus (HPV) is not an endorsement for pre-marital or unprotected sex. It is a protection against a virus that causes cancer, the No. 2 killer of women in the United States.
The vaccine, Gardasil, protects against four strains of HPV, two of which account for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, according to WebMD. In the United States alone, 3,700 women die each year from cervical cancer, according to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC).
HPV, the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infection in the United States, is a silent killer because most people infected with it do not know they have it. It is most common among women and men in their late teens and early twenties, according to the NCCC. College-aged women have a higher risk of contracting STIs, according to the American Journal of Health Studies. One study showed as many as 60 percent of college-aged women had some form of HPV.
Gardasil is the first vaccine to protect against cancer.
Women can contract HPV without having sexual intercourse, and a woman can get the virus anytime she has sex if her partner carries it. A virgin can get the virus from her husband on her wedding night. A teenager can get it from her boyfriend. A woman can get it from her casual one-night stand. A rape victim can get it from her predator. HPV does not consider the moral values of its victims.
If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine that would protect against lung cancer, people would line up to receive the drug. Because HPV is a sexually transmitted infection, Gardasil is controversial for young girls. The stigma of STIs should not prevent people from protecting themselves against cervical cancer.
The FDA approved Gardasil for women ages 9 to 26. All eligible women and girls should get the vaccine before they contract the virus. Safe-sex education is important, but nothing other than life-long abstinence will protect women from HPV. Some parents have opposed the drug saying the long-term effects are unknown and it might encourage their children to have sex earlier. However, getting a shot to prevent cancer is not likely to cause women to change their sexual practices, but it is likely to protect a vulnerable age group from a cancer-causing virus.
The SMU Memorial Health Center offers the HPV vaccine. Gardasil is administered in a series of three shots, each costing $150.
About the writer:
Susan Carmody is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at [email protected].
