By Paula Connelly
Lately, I can't help but shake the HPV terror that has descended on girls everywhere. Two types of HPV (out of 40) have been found to cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and two types have been found to cause about 90 percent of genital warts. Coupled with statistical evidence that over 50 percent of both men and women will contract HPV at some point in their lives and that by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have been infected with genital HPV infection, there is good cause for alarm. Even though most HPV infections have no symptoms and go away on their own, I'd prefer not to gamble with cancer. And since condoms do not prevent the spread of HPV, I was relieved to learn that Merck & Co., Inc. developed a vaccine called Gardasil to protect against the four strains which lead to cervical cancer and genital warts.
The vaccine is overpriced and difficult to obtain, especially for women over the age of 12, due to the slim chances a normal, sexually active person wouldn't already have contracted some form of HPV. Currently, the vaccine is only approved for women ages 9 to 26 (problematic for women over 26 facing the statistical leap into the 80 percent of women infected by age 50). But I say, don't listen to that doomed logic! The fact remains that the vaccine protects against four strains, so having one strain already does not mean you should give up on fighting the rest. There is no treatment for HPV.
Armed with (and scared by) these statistics, I went to my doctor a few months ago, ready to demand they give me the vaccine -- and ready to stage all kinds of protests upon my denial. Lucky for them, I was met with great enthusiasm at my desire to get the vaccine at all, and my appointment was promptly scheduled.
On Friday, five days before my vaccine appointment, the San Francisco Chronicle published an AP article titled, Girls complain of painful vaccine: Gardasil, which prevents cervical cancer, hurts when injected. The article, by AP writer Mike Stobbe, reports that there has been an increase in fainting, and quotes girls as saying "this vaccine stings a lot." The article contains an alarming title, some dismal firsthand accounts and a brief mention of the fact that the Gardasil vaccine is an unprecedented new way for girls to thwart cervical cancer. But rather than reference the magnetically compelling statistics mentioned above, Stobbe took an alarmist approach, "From 2002-2004 there were about 50 reports of fainting; from 2005 until last July, there were about 230. About 180 of those cases followed a shot of Gardasil, which came on the market in 2006." These statistics were not justified -- there is no mention of how many girls fainted compared to how many received vaccines each given year, nor any mention that more girls in general were probably receiving vaccines following the release of Gardasil. The vaccine is a series of three shots, after all.
After reading the AP story in the Chronicle on Friday, my excitement for barely beating the doomsday cutoff of age 26 turned to extreme apprehension. I'm lucky to have wonderfully intelligent friends who have already experienced the vaccine and assured me I probably already had bruises on my body that hurt more than this shot. Their advice helped, but didn't stop me from feeling extremely nervous this morning on my way to Kaiser hospital.
I shouldn't have worried. The shot barely hurt at all. Actually, my tense neck muscles (thanks to my desk job) hurt more than the spot on my shoulder where I got the vaccine. I barely felt the shot itself, and the only discomfort I experienced was when I put my jacket on directly following the vaccine.
My conclusion: The shot is no big deal, especially considering the alternative. I just hope the Chronicle article doesn't dissuade other women from getting this important vaccine.
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Comments (1)
hmmm, I am not that surprised at all. I saw his profile on the HPV dating site pozcupid.com last week. It's said he is interested in dating hot girls with HPV!
Posted by Simon | January 13, 2008 07:09 PM