Tuesday, March 11, 2008

HPV vaccine - what do you think?

There is still a lot of controversy around the HPV vaccine for young women and teen girls.

When news of the vaccine came out, I thought it was a great idea. After all, if the vaccine can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer, I figured it would be helpful and I was all for it. But, I'm thinking about it differently now. Several provincial governments jumped on the bandwagon and pushed it for the provinces' girls. My question is, what's the rush? I think we need to slow down and wait to see what some of the long-term outcomes are.

This is the news story that made me think of the issue: HPV vaccine reduces abnormal pap test results. If the results are positive, why do I have a lingering unease about it?

I do not agree with some of the reasons some of the people are against the vaccine. I've heard the argument that parents will be teaching their girls to refrain from sexual activity, therefore eliminating the need for the vaccine. I always counter that argument with a girl's first sexual encounter is not always voluntary. And, girls don't always abide by their parents' wishes.

What do you think?

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think the rush is---many of us have girls who are of an age to have sex and need to be protected right now.