I became concerned about the HPV vaccine when I saw that a number of states were mandating that it be required for girls in public schools. As a sexually active young woman, I am at pretty high risk for contracting HPV, but I have chosen not to receive the vaccine, because I am skeptical that the legislation being passed regarding it is being done so unscrupulously and untransparently. I'm disheartened that most public opposition to this vaccine seems to be from people who are concerned about vaccinating young girls for an STI - not from people like me, who look askance on legislators who are mandating compulsory vaccinations after receiving substantial monetary donations from pharmaceutical companies, and who feel that the attention given to this vaccine obscures the real issues about women's reproductive health. The HPV vaccine is not a substitute for routine healthcare, and I feel that the legislative support it has been receiving diverts funds that could be better used to provide pap smears for low-income women.

I did most of this research when Gardasil was the only vaccine available. Part 2 will explore the ties between pharmaceutical companies and the politicians pushing for compulsory vaccination. Part 3 will explain my concerns about this vaccine's testing method and potential health risks.

SOME FACTS ABOUT CERVICAL CANCER:
Cervical cancer was once one of the leading causes of cancer death in women. This is no longer the case. The American Cancer Society estimated that about 3,600 women would die of cervical cancer in 2007.

SOME FACTS ABOUT HPV:
HPV is a common STI (the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that over 1 in 4 women has it). Despite this high incidence, it's estimated that 90% of HPV infections are cleared by the infected person's immune system within 2 years. A number of people develop an immunity to the virus. There are several types of HPV. Two - types 16 and 18 - are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

WHAT THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES WANT YOU TO THINK:
"This vaccine lowers the chance of you getting cervical cancer! Which is a really common cancer!" The HPV vaccine is being billed as a preventative measure for cervical cancer - NOT for HPV itself. Why? Because HPV is essentially harmless - except for those two pesky strains that can give you cervical cancer. (Well, HPV can give you genital warts, too - but you don't see ads telling you you should be vaccinated for genital warts, do you? That's because they're playing up the "cervical cancer" aspect of it to quiet the folks who are crying foul at vaccinating kids for an STD. The pharmaceutical companies have ZERO chance of getting compulsory vaccinations for something that prevents genital warts. I would get vaccinated for the genital warts aspect alone, because that shit is gross, I have a lot of sex, and if it makes me 90% immune to genital warts, I'm ALL FOR IT. But I cannot in good conscience support a company that's marketing this as a cervical cancer vaccine.)

SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT HPV TYPES 16 AND 18:
Okay. I just told you that over a quarter of the US population has HPV, making it possibly the most common STI (this has been in the news a lot, and perhaps prompted renewed interest in the vaccine). Good idea to vaccinate against something that causes cancer, right? Do you know what percentage of folks with HPV have one of the types that causes cancer?
3.5%.
Now, it's been awhile since I've taken math - but does it really make sense to give shots to prevent something that 3.5% of 25% of the population has? What does that take that percentage down to? Do you divide 3.5 by 4? Statistically, the chances of contracting one of those two types of HPV are VERY LOW. And in any event, types 16 and 18 are only responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases.

PAP SMEARS ARE AWESOME:
Another thing I feel it's important that women know: the mortality rate from cervical cancer is declining at a rate of 4% per year. That's because of the advent of the pap smear test, which is CRUCIAL to early detection. The pap smear has made it possible for cervical cancer to be nipped in the bud, as it were. When the cancer is found at these early stages, the relative five-year survival rate is 92% - that's 12% higher than the 80% survival rate for people affected by one of the other 8 cancers that can be detected early.

THIS VACCINE IS EXPENSIVE:
Last I checked, Gardasil (Merck Inc.'s vaccine) cost $360. A pap smear costs $30. There are subsidies being used to give people Gardasil. This money would be better used to provide free or reduced-cost pap smears to women who otherwise would not have the means to receive them. If Merck really gave a shit about wiping out that kind of cancer, couldn't they have spent the millions they poured into developing this drug, the hundreds of thousands they spent bribing legislators to push through mandatory vaccination bills, and the thousands they doubtless spent on the ad campaign to convince people that this vaccine will reduce the incidence of cervical cancer, on cervical cancer awareness or screening efforts?

THE ANSWER IN PART 2.