Cervical Cancer Vaccine Sparks Debate

(CBS)  Even though Ken Alexander still likes to think of 14-year-old Audrey as his little girl, he's already had her vaccinated against a very grown-up disease: the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, that can cause cervical cancer.

"It's my job to see that she gets what she needs to protect herself,'" he says.

"Even if you think you aren't at risk, you are," adds Audrey. "You may do things that you don't think you're going to do now that may happen and you get cervical cancer."

Millions of Americans have seen the ad blitz for Merck's new drug Gardasil. The vaccine promises to reduce the number of HPV related cervical cancers by more than 70 percent, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.

The FDA only approved Gardasil in June and already, there is talk of making the $360 vaccine mandatory for the 2 million American girls who enter the sixth grade every year. But some worry that may sends a mixed signal by protecting girls against a sexually transmitted disease while at the same time telling them they shouldn't have sex.

Illinois is one of 21 states and the District of Columbia that have introduced legislation that would put HPV on the school shot sheet along with smallpox and measles shots.

State representative Naomi Jakobssen authored the bill in Illinois.

"I want to make sure that every family, every young girl, has the information about the vaccine, about the potential risks of not having it," Jakobssen says.

Ken Alexander understands. He's not only a dad, he's an expert on pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Chicago. He agrees Gardasil is a breakthrough, but says the final decision should be made by the parents.

"Do I believe that teenage girls should be immunized? Absolutely. But is it something that we are in position to sort of ramrod down people's throats? Not yet," Alexander says.

Most bills do allow parents to opt out, because the question remains: Where to make this decision - at the statehouse ... or your house.

[gaye5]

following on from my post below..
When my husband first started teaching 45/50 years ago, there was no such thing as ADD, children always sat and learnt. there was not many of the problems that we have today, but then maybe in the many schools that we taught in we were just lucky..???

Throughout history epidemics have come and gone, and will come again and go again without immunisations, and maybe we would not have many of these diseases of today if our children were allowed to get what Dr's used to call the mild child hood diseases..yes there were the very odd child born with problems because the mother contracted measles while pregnant, but I wonder if the many children dying today from cancers, asthmas etc is worth it...was our immune systems built up (as many scientist believe) by getting these diseases to help us combat some of the diseases that are running rampet in our society today. Yes some got very sick from measles but 99.8% recovered with no problems at all, but are there now more deaths and life time sickness caused by imminisation than from measles....

Parents used to try to make sure that their children had measles before they went to school, so I wonder that if it was really such a dangerious disease why parents would do that???. Most children didn't have days off school for sickness, however we cant say that of todays children, and many children who are vaccinated still get measles.

[gaye5]

twood001 wrote, All Vaccines carry some form of risk and I don't hear anyone talking about potential side affects.
Thank goodness someone has some sense, and you could add the number of deaths and other emerging sickness, do they out number by far the odd deaths from measles etc. Daily we have drugs which are taken off the market having supposedly been tested because they discover that it is killing thousands of people.
My husband and I went to a very large school 50 years ago and there was only one child who had asthma, however now days when my husband (who was a Principal) takes children on school camps, over two thirds of them have to take asthma medication, and no one wonders why.
After one of my granddaughters immunisation shot she stopped breathing and turned blue on the way home, I had to shake her to make her breath, what would have happened if she had of been in her bed alone, of course it would have just been counted as a cot death...she was revived two more times before she came right...so then we started looking up the dangers of immunisation, and now we wonder if the incredible skyrocketing increases in sickness and deaths from cancers. cot deaths, autism etc might not be caused by immunisations, plus the many chemicals in every sphere of our lives, water and food etc ...
50 years ago we never had autism in our schools were we taught, and I cant remember children dying of leukaemia and other cancers, hospitals are now full of children dying of something...

[oleander8]

Why do far right conservatives think that even mentioning sexuality, or genitalia will send young people screaming into promiscuity??? It's absurd!

[nativewoman]

Posted by Hermit22 at 03:37 AM : Jan 29, 2007

Because pretty much you can't legislate morality and make it stick anyway.

Besides, shouldn't parents be teaching their children about marriage and fidelity without a government mandate?

People are human. They make mistakes.

Especially teenagers because they tend to think they are invincible.

But they shouldn't have to die because of a mistake made in the heat of the moment of their young lives.

[hermit22]

"$360 vacine mandatory"?!?!

why doesn't representative Naomi Jakobssen author a bill that mandates kids be taught to get married, be faithful to one spouse and avoid all sorts of disease?

[tsujimn]

Bluestardad;
Hope you and your family can get the information you need and locate a vaccine provider. Another possibility might be a Planned Parenthood office as they provide general GYN "well woman" care in addition to contraception services. And also, while we need to definitely let our lawmakers know that this aspect of our healthcare system is failing our children (THEIR future voting population) we also need to let our health insurance companies and the respective professional societies (American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) know that the public they serve deserves better.

[bluestardad]

tsujimn; Thank you my wife is running this down! WE have been to several places and she is getting a bit angry with the run around!

[FEMMEONE]

What people don't realize is... most times the human papaloma virus is sexually transmitted - however not always.

There are cases of elderly nuns having had the disease. Both my sister and myself had it; my sister hadn't been with anyone but her husband, who did not have it. I had it and was a virgin. Go figure.

Vacinations have a purpose: To protect your children from horrible diseases. They are not to be taken lightly. For crying outloud - get your heads out of the sand and get your children protected against as many diseases as possible!

[greeneyes48]

Why does getting the vaccine mean that girls are going to become sexually active early than they would normally? What a crock of rubbish! What an easy excuse for unskilled parents!

I raised 3 daughters successfully and now watch my daughters raise their daughters successfully. If parents raise their kids with the right set of values and give their kids all the information to make informed decisions then the kids will make appropriate choices.

In Australia the government subsidises the vaccine so it is affordable to all - free to those who cannot afford it and it is on the school immunisation program.

Parents have the choice to refuse vaccination if they wish but the girls can then opt to be vaccinated (without parental consent) when they turn 18.

[bluestardad]

Costanoan; I thought you showered before you left my apartment this morning?