Opinion Editorial

Mandating HPV Vaccination in the Fight Against Cervical Cancer

If scientists discovered a vaccine to fight lung cancer, it would be hailed as a miracle. If researchers found a vaccine that would eliminate bone or liver cancer, surely lawmakers would quickly mandate vaccination. So, what’s the problem with vaccinating against cervical cancer?

A vaccine licensed under the brandname Gardasil® is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing the occurrence of four human papillomavirus (HPV) types, two of which account for 70 percent of all cervical cancers. Recent studies show that the vaccine may even be effective in preventing vulval and vaginal cancers.

With the potential to dramatically reduce cervical cancer and perhaps prevent other cancers, “this vaccine is unique and offers tremendous possibilities,” said Dr. Teresa Aguado, World Health Organization’s coordinator for the Initiative for Vaccine Research, Product Research, and Development team.

Therefore, Utahns must band together and encourage Utah lawmakers to vote in favor of a mandatory vaccination of 11-12 year-old girls against HPV. Then our daughters, sisters, and nieces will be protected against HPV early on so that fewer lives are affected by cervical cancer down the road.

While many Utahns may be concerned that vaccinating young girls against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), will promote promiscuity, they should recognize that half of all girls already become sexually active before graduating from high school. Even while gonorrhea rates are declining on the national level, the state of Utah has seen a 195 percent increase in gonorrhea rates and a 110 percent increase in chlamydia rates between the years 2000 and 2005.

State health officials say that an alarming number of high cases of STDs occur among Utah’s 15-19 year-olds. "It's absolutely irresponsible if we assume that people and youngsters in Utah are not having sex. It's not true; we have a dramatic increase in sexually transmitted diseases, many of them in younger people,” said Dr. David Sundwall, Executive Director for the Utah Department of Health.

Additionally, about 20 percent of American girls between the ages of 14 and 19 are already infected with HPV, and 6.2 percent of 15-19 year-old girls become infected with HPV each year. But this battle is not really about HPV the STD; it’s about a cancer that is directly linked to a prevalent virus—a virus that can be prevented.

For decades, lawmakers have tried tirelessly to reduce lung cancer deaths by reducing smoking. With half of all sexually active people acquiring HPV at some point in their lives, why don’t lawmakers now try to reduce cervical cancer deaths by eliminating HPV starting with a mandatory vaccination? The opportunity is staring them in the face and it’s time to take it.