Inspirations
What is this new Cervical Cancer vaccine?
by Emily J Weitz
You may have seen the new barrage
of commercials with the theme “One Less.” The camera
captures young women and girls jumping rope, playing sports and
just generally being active, healthy and happy. The advertisement
is aimed to getting eligible women vaccinated so they won’t
get cervical cancer. If you are between the ages of 9 and 26, you
should absolutely talk to your doctor about this new vaccine.
In 2006, the FDA authorized the administration
of the HPV vaccine for girls and women ages 9-26 years old. HPV,
or Human papillomavirus, is an infection that presents far and away
the biggest risk factor for the development of cervical cancer.
These infections are very common. The HPV virus can be passed from
person to person through sexual contact. Most adults have been infected
with HPV at some time in their lives. Some types of HPV can cause
changes to cells in the cervix. These changes sometimes cause cervical
cancer.
Cervical cancer occurs when a tumor
or tumors form in the cervix, which is the narrow, lower part of
a woman’s uterus. In the earliest stages of cervical cancer,
the tumor is very superficial and there may be no outward symptoms.
The tumor is only in the cells lining the cervix. Commonly, cancer
will be caught in this stage by a doctor noticing irregular cells
in a Pap test, and often, surgery can be preformed to remove these
cells. Once cervical cancer takes hold and begins to spread through
the sex organs, the treatments become more serious. One common treatment
for cervical cancer is a hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus,
cervix and other affected sex organs. Other common treatments include
radiation and chemotherapy.
For women over 26, the best way to
protect yourself from cervical cancer is to use barrier methods
of contraception when having sex, like condoms. It’s also
vital to get a Pap smear at least every three years so that your
doctor can identify the early stages of pre-cancerous cells, and
treat the cancer before it starts.
By getting vaccinated for HPV, you
are much less likely to get cervical cancer. The vaccine is given
through a series of three shots over the course of six months and
protects women against four different types of HPV, which when combined,
cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts.
The reason the vaccine is recommended
for such young girls is that it is most effective among girls who
have never been in contact with HPV. Therefore, the ideal time to
vaccinate is before you ever have sex. Sexually active females can
also benefit from the vaccine, but if they are already exposed to
HPV, it may not prevent cervical cancer from forming. The FDA will
consider licensing the vaccine to older women once substantial research
has been conducted.
Unfortunately, not everyone is behind
the HPV vaccine. Texas Governor Rick Perry, tried to pass a mandate
that all the state’s middle-school ages girls get the vaccine.
Critics argued that this order promoted promiscuity and took away
parents’ rights. As a result, 90 of 150 members of the House
of Representatives, signed a bill rescinding the mandate. The same
kind of situation is happening in states across the country.
Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, a democrat
in California, is author of the bill in his own state. He said that
the uprising in Texas would not deter him from pushing forward.
“We plan on moving forward with our bill because I believe
mandating this vaccination is the right thing to do,” he said.
“The cervical cancer vaccine provides us the ability to significantly
diminish a disease that needlessly kills and permanently maims thousands
of women every year.”
Even though there is still controversy
about whether the vaccination should be mandatory, the fact that
it is available is enough for me. Cancer is an epidemic that has
ravaged our world. The American Cancer Society estimates that about
11,150 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the
United States in 2007. About 3670 women are predicted to die from
cervical cancer in the US in 2007. Cervical cancer is the second-most
common cause of death from cancer in women across the world.
I don’t want to be a part of
those statistics, and your daughters, sisters, aunts and mothers
shouldn’t be either.
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