Thread: They are wanting to make the HPV vaccine mandatory in schools

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GARDASIL
From the www.oneless.com website

WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER?
Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina). Cervical cancer is caused by certain types of HPV. When a female becomes infected with certain types of HPV and the virus doesn’t go away on its own, abnormal cells can develop in the lining of the cervix. If not discovered early and treated, these abnormal cells can become cervical precancers and then cancer.

THERE'S GOOD NEWS

GARDASIL is the only vaccine that may help guard against diseases caused by HPV Types 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and HPV Types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts cases.

HPV Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and HPV Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL may not fully protect everyone and does not prevent all types of cervical cancer, so it is important to continue regular cervical cancer screenings.

http://www.gardasil.com/cervical-cancer.html

WHAT ARE GENITAL WARTS?
Genital warts are usually flesh-colored growths. The types of HPV that cause genital warts are different from the types that can cause cervical cancer.

About 2 out of 3 people who have sexual contact with a person who has genital warts will also get them. And even if the genital warts are treated, 25% of cases come back within 3 months if HPV is still present.

THERE'S GOOD NEWS
Being vaccinated with GARDASIL before coming into contact with a person who has HPV can help protect you against HPV Types 6 and 11—the types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts.

http://www.gardasil.com/genital-warts.html

HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)
HPV affects both women and men.
• Anyone who has any kind of sexual activity involving genital contact with an infected person can get HPV—-intercourse isn't necessary.
• Many people who may have HPV may not show any signs or symptoms, so they can pass the virus on without even knowing it.

HPV is easily transmitted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 20 million people in the United States already had HPV in 2005.

According to the CDC, the only way you can totally protect yourself against HPV is to avoid any sexual activity that involves genital contact. HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18 account for the majority of HPV-related clinical diseases.



â€*Number represents more than 30 genital HPV types, not just HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

THERE'S GOOD NEWS
Being vaccinated with GARDASIL before coming into contact with a person who has HPV may help protect you against HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

http://www.gardasil.com/risk-for-hpv.html

1. Q: What is HPV?
A: HPV is a common virus. In 2005 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 20 million people in the United States had this virus. There are many different types of HPV. Some cause no harm; others can cause diseases of the genital area. For most people, the virus goes away on its own. When the the virus does not go away, it can develop into cervical cancer, precancerous lesions, or genital warts, depending on the HPV type.

2. Q: How do people get HPV?
A: HPV affects both women and men.
• Anyone who has any kind of sexual activity involving genital contact with an infected person can get HPV—intercourse isn’t necessary.
• Many people who have HPV may not show any signs or symptoms, so they can pass the virus on without even knowing it.

HPV is easily transmitted. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 million people in the United States already had HPV in 2005. HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18 account for the majority of HPV-related clinical diseases.

3. Q: What is cervical cancer?
A: Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina). Cervical cancer is caused by certain types of HPV. When a female becomes infected with certain types of HPV and the virus doesn’t go away on its own, abnormal cells can develop in the lining of the cervix. If not discovered early and treated, these abnormal cells can become cervical precancers and then cancer.

4. Q: What are genital warts?
A: Genital warts are flesh-colored growths that appear in or around the genital area. The types of HPV that cause genital warts are different from the types of that can cause cervical cancer. About 2 out of 3 people who have sexual contact with a person who has genital warts will get them. Even after treatment, there is a chance that the genital warts could come back if HPV is still present. In fact, 25% of cases come back within 3 months.


5. Q: Why should I get my daughter vaccinated with GARDASIL now?
Can't it wait?
A: Like other vaccines, GARDASIL works to help prevent illness. GARDASIL works when given before there is any contact with HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18. That’s why it’s important that you talk to your daughter's doctor or healthcare professional about getting her vaccinated with GARDASIL now—not later. You’ll be helping to protect her future from cervical cancer and genital warts even before she is old enough to worry about them.

6. Q: If I'm vaccinated with GARDASIL, will I still need to get Pap tests?
A: Yes. Vaccination with GARDASIL does not take the place of Pap tests (cervical cancer screenings). You should keep following your doctor’s or healthcare professional’s advice on getting Pap tests. Pap tests have been proven to help save lives. A Pap test looks for abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix before they have the chance to become precancerous or cervical cancer. The more severe the abnormality, the more likely it is that cervical cancer could develop in the future. Having an abnormal Pap test isn’t any reason to panic—it doesn’t always mean that you are at risk for cancer or even have HPV. Your doctor or healthcare professional may repeat the Pap test or do other tests as needed. Pap tests will still be an important part of taking control of your health—and taking care of yourself.

I have a few questions not covered at http://www.gardasil.com/questions-about-gardasil.html

If 80% of all women already have this virus then why don't they all have cervical cancer ? Why are they not vaccinating men who are carriers of this HPV ? Why would you trust this company in particular with the recalls and poor research on other drugs they produce and promote? Why are they pushing this vaccine which may or may not prevent just one out of 65 strains of cervical cancer... They have acknowldged spending no less than $250,000 on lobbying in the state of Texas alone ( nice to see that has paid off for them ) FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Texas governor orders STD vaccine for all girls
Decision comes after maker of cervical cancer shot doubled lobbying efforts


Updated: 31 minutes ago
AUSTIN, Texas - Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents’ rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans raise their children.

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21.

Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio.

“The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer,� Perry said.

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.

Perry tied to Merck
Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company’s three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry’s former chief of staff. His current chief of staff’s mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

The governor also received $6,000 from Merck’s political action committee during his re-election campaign.

The order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one.

Legislative aides said they are looking for ways around the order for parents who oppose it.

“He’s circumventing the will of the people,� said Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education, a citizens group that fought for the right to opt out of other vaccine requirements. “There are bills filed. There’s no emergency except in the boardrooms of Merck, where this is failing to gain the support that they had expected.�

Opt-out option for parents
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say such requirements interfere with parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children. More news from MSN Health

The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil — at $360 for the three-shot regimen — were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group’s president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.

A top official from Merck’s vaccine division sits on Women in Government’s business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common cause of sexually transmitted disease. In some cases, the virus can form warts on various parts of the body, including the feet, hands and genitals. There are more than 100 types of HPV, most of which are harmless. Of these 100, more than 30 types are sexually transmitted. Some types of HPV that cause genital infections can also cause cervical cancer and other gynecological cancers.

Does this not also give a 'false sense of security'? Especially those who are not aware that this is for one particular STD, not all STD's? It leads one to believe, "I'm now protected against STDs...." Not all are fully versed and just might assume this...

*they might also stop using other protective measures too....

Originally Posted by pepperpot

Does this not also give a 'false sense of security'? Especially those who are not aware that this is for one particular STD, not all STD's? It leads one to believe, "I'm now protected against STDs...." Not all are fully versed and just might assume this...

*they might also stop using other protective measures too....

Extremely good point.......as most teens will tell you that it wont happen to them just everybody else

District's HPV Proposal Tinged With Ugly Assumptions
By Courtland Milloy
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page B01

Let's say you have an 11-year-old daughter in D.C. public schools. She'll be a sixth-grader next year. You are reminded that she must be immunized before she will be allowed to return to school. She'll need the usual vaccinations against measles, rubella and chickenpox. But this time, there's another disease on the list, one that the D.C. government is strongly urging your daughter be immunized against: the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is sexually transmitted. After all, your daughter is 11 and probably black, so the assumption is she'll be having unprotected sex in no time -- but don't take offense.

Surely the HPV Vaccination Reporting Act of 2007, which was introduced before the D.C. Council yesterday, is for her own good. HPV causes cervical cancer in about 10,000 women in the United States each year and kills about 3,700. The rate of the disease in the country is 8.8 per 100,000 females, according to the American Cancer Society. But it is up to 13.5 per 100,000 in the District.

Only the most progressive and caring elected city officials -- in this case, two nice white people -- would propose a program to vaccinate against sexually transmitted disease girls under 13 in a predominantly black school system. After all, if the girls' parents can't protect them -- and, God knows, they can't protect themselves -- then somebody's got to do it. There is no vaccine for the boys who infect the girls, so just forget about them.

"With January being National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time for the District to lead the nation in the fight against what is in essence a preventable disease," said D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), a truly well-meaning, if naive, co-sponsor of the legislation. Forget about taking time to educate the public about HPV or exploring any adverse side effects of the vaccination. Let's go right at these presumed-to-be-promiscuous, 11-year-old black girls.

Even experts on the ethics and politics of compulsory HPV vaccinations disagree. In a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, author James Colgrove writes: "Bioethicists, who generally hold the values of patient autonomy and informed consent to be preeminent, tend to be skeptical about compulsory vaccination laws. . . . Because HPV is not casually transmissible, they argue there is less compelling rationale for requiring protection against it than against measles or pertussis; in the absence of potential harm to a third party, such laws may be considered unacceptably paternalistic."


Oh please. If the parents were doing their jobs, then there would be no need for a paternalistic government. Isn't that right, D.C.? Some of your elected officials certainly seem to think so.

A large body of evidence demonstrates that school-based laws are an effective and efficient way of boosting vaccine-coverage rates, Colgrove writes. "Requiring HPV vaccination by law will almost certainly achieve more widespread protection against the disease than will policies that rely exclusively on persuasion and education." He quotes Beverly S. Hammerstrom (R), the Michigan state senator who introduced legislation similar to what was proposed in the District yesterday: "The only way to ensure that as many girls as possible receive the HPV vaccine is to require it before they enter middle school."

So forget about the ham-handed way the legislation was proposed in the District. Your tissue-paper feelings just don't matter.

And please don't bring up that old paranoia about government agencies conducting medical experiments on black people. The Tuskegee syphilis experiments are old news. Besides, all of those black guinea pigs are dead and gone. Same for Norplant, the birth control drug judges offered mostly to black, female convicts in lieu of jail time. That practice was found to be unconstitutional -- eventually.

And don't worry about the safety of the vaccine. As Colgrove notes: "During the past two decades, in the face of a sharp increase in the number of recommended pediatric vaccines, unproven theories alleging connections between vaccines and illnesses such as autism, diabetes and multiple sclerosis have been spreading. A social movement involving diverse participants has challenged the safety of vaccinations and mounted attacks in courtrooms and legislatures on compulsory vaccination laws."

Just remember that the District's HPV program would be administered by the D.C. Department of Health. That's run by black people. So you know black adolescent girls will be treated with dignity and respect. Just because the city's health officials have made a monumental mess out of its handling of the AIDS crisis only means that they have plenty of mistakes to learn from.

And if they say the vaccine for HVP is safe, you can bet your life on it.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...010901780.html

HPV causes cervical cancer in about 10,000 women in the United States each year and kills about 3,700. The rate of the disease in the country is 8.8 per 100,000 females, according to the American Cancer Society. But it is up to 13.5 per 100,000 in the District.

If they mandate it and you don't want your Daughters to have it, simply state its against your religious beliefs. Thats real simple to do. Go to your family doctor tell him, its against our religion. He then simply signs a form stating such and the your daughter is healthy at the time of the visit. Maybe I should say thats how easy it is in Georgia. I have filled out many of these forms for my doc.

Merck is not concerned about our children's health - they are concerned about their bottom line. Their own information ( featured in this month's Family Cirlce magazine page 72 ) states that 80% of women carry this virus. CDC figures show that only 8.8 women out of 100,000 develope cervical cancer for which this "miracle drug" can only protect a further fraction. They are using scare tactics to sell their product. How many people had even heard of this HVP prior to Merck’s advertising blitz ?

To provide this vaccine to those in "high risk catagories" is a good idea. To blanket an entire generation of young women with an unproven drug - considering Merck’s track record - is a very very bad idea.

I was shocked by how many people didn't find out WHAT the vaccines mandated by law are being pumped into their children.

I received a lot of hostility from other parents regarding my battle to keep Michael from the varicella vacine. The school nurse turned me into CPS because I refused to comply even after giving her documentaion to back my reservations, and a form signed by my doctor and myself.

I only have sons, so even though I don't have a girl this is just one more thing added to my list of "Why I have chosen to homeschool" !