Should the Gardasil Vaccine Be Required Before Girls Start High School - Essay Example

Outline Introduction: Introduction to HPV Vaccination and what is your opinions on the topic in question Body: Arguments as to why gardasil vaccine should be required before girls start high school Conclusion Summery of the entire essay ending with a few personal opinions [Writer’s name] [Professor’s name] [Course title] [Date] Should The Gardasil Vaccine Be Required Before Girls Start High School? Introduction HPV Vaccination should be given to girls before they start high school. these vaccines have the potential to reduce cervical cancer deaths around the world by as much as two-thirds, if all women were to take the vaccine and if protection turns out to be long-term vaccines (National cancer institute p1) Let us first examine the definition of HPV. Understanding a disease starts with definition of its properties and causes. Human papillomavirus causes warts. Warts are skin growths which are non-cancerous in nature; their appearance depends on where they grow. Even though there are over hundred kinds; the only two that cause visible warts are types eleven and six. Even though you can get the infection in your mouth and the throat, the chances of you contracting it is very rare. Once the infection occurs, it can spread to the genitals or to the anal area. You can also spread the virus even if you do not have any symptoms of infection or any visible warts “ These include 2 types that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and 2 types that cause about 90 percent of genital warts. HPV vaccine can prevent most genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer” (CDC p1) In young girls, cervical cancer due to HPV can occur if sexual intercourse takes place at an extremely earlier age. The danger of this kind of cancer is very serious. Analysis I think this vaccine should be given to for girls between 11 to 26 years, before they start going to highs school. As they will not be sexually active. The HPV vaccine prevents any chance of cervical cancer. A few states are thinking of making the HPV vaccination mandatory for girls, before they start high school, as this is the time when they become sexually active. I think the state is doing the right thing by making this vaccine a requirement for young girls who are about to start high school as this is a decision that should be made mandatory. The decision of whether or not a young girl should get the HPV vaccination should be completely matter of the state and not the parents because it would protect the young girls from a sexually transmitted disease before they are sexually active. By this vaccine indirectly the girls are also learning moral values. As they learn that sex is not a game but a dangerous act as well. HPV is not a disease that is transmitted by sitting next to someone in class. It is not an infectious disease that flies through the air with no boundaries. However sex has become infectious disease and thus the only way to protect the girls are by giving them vaccines. The flu virus is a virus that often starts in school. The flu virus vaccination is not a requirement for children before they begin high school. “The flu virus spreads through the air when a person who has the virus sneezes, coughs, or speaks “(Flu fact p1). HPV can only spread in a school environment if the children are having sex at school. It should be kept in mind that the HPV virus will spread in the classroom if these girls have sex in school. The HPV vaccination is greatly helps in preventing cancer as it is a well known fact that young girls also experiment with sex when they enter high school. Possible barriers to obtaining adolescent consent include a perceived notion that cervical cancer is not relevant to teenagers “a valid assumption considering its peak incidence of 81/100 000 persons is at 50 years of age together with the undesirable vaccination schedule involving three injections over six months” (Harper etal p1245). Practitioners should openly discuss these issues, if the need arise, in an attempt to educate and promote unguarded interactions. It should be noted that these actions do not have the intention of underestimating the role of a capable minor’s parent, but rather seek to uphold the imperative bioethical and legal principles of the healthcare system, and to promote effective communication in a holistic manner between practitioners and patients. Evidence that supports my claim is the article Cervical Cancer Vaccine breakthrough which it was stated that Gardasil was the first prophylactic vaccine generated to effectively prevent 70% of cervical cancers caused by human papilloma virus types 16 and 18. The vaccine was shown to be ‘100 percent effective’. As mentioned previously, this statistical evidence was authenticated by the illustration of the study design and method. It was stated that:’ Half the women received three doses of the vaccine and half were given a placebo…No pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix were found in those who were given Gardasil. These vaccines should be given to girls before they start high school as HPV at times progress extremely fast in the adolescent age group. “Since the 1990’s, the girls reach puberty early and get their menaces around 11 to 13 years old” (Ho G p423). This incident has resulted in a fast progression of HPV as young girls entering their teens are indulging in sexual activities at a young age could result in being infected by HPV. Getting infected at an early age is dangerous as in the later stages it may because cervical cancers Merck&Co, developed the vaccine, provided vastly comprehensive, accurate scientific information regarding all aspects of Gardasil in a published pamphlet which was titled ‘Prescribing Information for Health Care Professionals’. However, considering that Gardasil has recently been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now available for commercial use in the United States, one can be particularly confident in the validly of Merck Co’s published results, given the authority and objectivity that the FDA possess. The approval from this governing body undoubtedly enhances the validity of this drug. This vaccine particularly eliminates the most risky carcinogenic genotypes some HPV vaccines which are being recently studied may even be able reverse HPV In infected females. I believe teenage girls should get vaccinated as Human papilloma virus(hip) infection includes more than 70 types of viruses that can cause warts(appaloosas). HPV can infect another person by indulging in sexual activates with the infected person. . If the teenage girls don’t get vaccinated then a few kinds of the virus can result in genital warts, moreover some may result in cervical intra epithelial neoplasia in the cells of the cervix. The cervical intra epithelial neoplasia normally dsiapaer when virus is cured. “After a few years the virus may be found and later on the cervical intra epithelial neoplasia will develop into cervix cancer “(Nester & McCarthy p7) Vaccination is necessary as risk factors for cancer of the cervix, such as having sexual intercourse in early teenage years and having had many sexual partners, and could be upset that friends and family might think that they meet the criteria for these categories. I believe prevention is better then cure thus young girls should get vaccinated before entering high school as Genital HPV has no known cure, and there the growth of warts cannot be predicted , or whether or not they will disappear when they do show. However, they do often disappear without treatment. Concerns about HPV in the same manner as all other medical conditions: stay healthy, think healthy, and be healthy. Make use of the knowledge we receive to live healthy, and utilize treatments available to care for the virus. Most importantly, do not be ashamed or embarrassed to seek help or seek information to avoid this and all other medical concerns. Vacations should be compulsory for every girl as Sixty percent of teens are not aware that HPV can have a long-term effect on ones health, especially that of women and teen girls HPV is not small issues more people then anyone realize suffer from this disease. Americans drastically underestimate the incidence of HPV thus having their own risk increased. “The Gardasil Vaccicne is 99 percent successful in stopping HPV from turning into cervical cancer” (Sanjay etal p105). 3 million doses of Gardasil were given to women in the lowest income nations worldwide to protect them against cervical cancer. These vaccines are important for young girls as serious HPV may be they can be spread very easily. There is an extremely high risk of transmitting HPV by sexual contact. Simply touching the sexual organs of the opposite sex can also cause contraction. On contact a person can catch an HPV and get a shanker. This is a type of wound has a big opening. It may go away but the patient might have use medication, even for the rest of their life to prevent a breakout. HPV although very common can also be very deadly especially for women. HPV can cause cervical cancer in females . Out of every 5 Americans has some HPV and a lot of them may not even know it (Atkinson etal p34). Girls should be vaccinated before they enter high school so that they can not get HPV in the future as well because college students are at an incredibly high risk for being infected by HPV because they often engage in extremely risky sexual activities We need to be aware and make students who are going to enter high school aware of the consequences of unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. In a recent survey conducted among high school girls showed that they knew about HPV and knew at least one person who had one. HPV is surprisingly widespread on high school campuses, a rate that can lead to terrible consequences because HPV can affect a person for the rest of his or her life. Among exchange students who live away from home, 56 percent were sexually active while they were still in high school, and 73 percent of that group reported having unprotected sex while in high school (Shobha p10). HPV is infecting a vast majority of teenage girls in the United States. The girls should also be vaccinated so that they to become aware of the symptoms and results of indulging in early sexual intercourse this must be implemented with any delay. In the current and largest study to date, researchers combined and analyzed the data from four randomized trials that involved 20,583 women ages 15 to 26 from more than two dozen countries across Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. Participants were randomly assigned to receive the HPV vaccine or placebo and followed for an average of three years(ScienceDailyp1) I believe that prevention is better than cure so why make these poor girls go through the trouble and pain of HPV , when they can be vaccinated the future of these young girls lye in the hands of the schools as they should make these vacations compulsory. No girls should be allowed to enter high school with taking this particular vaccination. If precautions are taken at an earlier stage then the disease will not spread. Parents should face the reality and stop keeping their children in protective bubble, if they think that giving these vaccines will make the girls more sexually active then they are wrong. Today’s youth know every thing about sex before they enter high school some even plan what they will do , thus every parent should give their girl this vaccine so that they can be protected from HPV. HPV can be extremely dangerous and any girl that enters high school has a threat of getting it , thus parents should pop their bubble and come into the real world so that they can protect their girls from this hideous disease. Girls who are young may also be open to date rape as date rape has become an extremely common act. How ever if the girls are vaccinated they may be safe from HPV as their rapist cold be carrying it and at that time it is hard to fight back or ask the rapist if he is infected or not. The victim will at least be safe from a an like HPV Conclusion Sex has become something common in the students high school, girls who are virgins are considered as traditional fools. Per pressure makes these girls indulge in sexual intercourse. How ever it is important that these girls are protected from HPV which is sexually transmitted disease it leads to Cervical Cancer thus it is necessary that before girls enter high school they should be vaccinated with the Gardasil vaccine. Work cited Books: Atkinson W, Hamborsky J, McIntyre L, Wolfe S, eds. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 10th ed. Washington, DC: Public Health Foundation, 2007 p34 Shobha S. Krishnan The HPV Vaccine Controversy: Sex, Cancer, God, and Politics: A Guide for Parents, Women, Men, and Teenagers Praeger Publishers; 1 edition 2008. p10 Nester, E.W & McCarthy, B.J ; Microbiology: Molecules, microbes, and man. Holt and Winston Inc, USA 1993 p7 Journals: Ho G, Bierman R, Beardsley R, et al. “Natural History of Cervicovaginal Papillomavirus Infection in Young Women”. New England Journal of Medicine 338(7): 1998 pp423-428, Sanjay Basu, Gretchen B. Chapman, Alison P. Galvani. "Integrating epidemiology, psychology, and economics to achieve HPV vaccination targets." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008; p105 (48). Harper DM, Franco EL, Wheeler CM, et al. “Sustained efficacy up to 4.5 years of a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine against human papillomavirus types 16 and 18: follow-up from a randomised control trial”. Lancet 2006; 367(9518): pp1247-55 Websites: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); “Vaccine information statement: HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine” 2008 p1. 28 March 2009 Flu fact, 2009 p 1, retrieved from kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacterial_viral/flu.html on 28 March 2009 Ian Frazer, “cervical Cancer Vaccine breakthrough 2005” Australian associated press National cancer institute, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines: Questions and Answers 2007 p1. 28 March 2009 ScienceDaily ;”HPV Vaccine Highly Effective, According To Large-scale Studies” 2007 p1 . 28 March 2009 Read More