that is worth talking about.
A father of two girls talks about his reasons for not getting his children vaccinated. I’ve copied the interesting points he makes (far more eloquently than I), but here is the link to the complete story.
- At the moment, 3,000 women develop cervical cancer every year and just under 1,000 die from it. Government and drug-company press releases claim that the programme will eventually cut these deaths by about 400 a year. (this may be a UK stat).
- [health costs for those women with cervical cancer] one quoted cost is £100m a year, which works out at £250,000 per life saved.
- We already have a very effective screening programme that has brought deaths from cervical cancer down from 11 per 100,000 in 1950 to 3.4 in 2004, and the numbers are expected to continue falling. The biggest risk factor for cervical cancer is never having been screened; half of those with the disease haven’t. The fear is that the programme may reduce screening attendance as vaccinated women assume they are safe
- We plan to vaccinate 600,000 12- and 13-year-olds a year, on the basis of trials involving fewer than 1,200 girls under 16 that lasted less than two years
- Side effects included birth defects and juvenile arthritis. Only a few; but what happens when millions get the vaccine? Could certain genotypes be particularly vulnerable? No one knows.
- the total [for adverse reactions] was around 3,500; by this July, the figure had risen to 8,864, including 18 deaths and 140 “serious” reports.
- Two of the most worrying reactions have been blood clots – what might that be doing if you are one of the older girls on the pill? – and 38 reports of an autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome that can cause paralysis.
- Then there is the reaction of the 15 other HPV strains, which account for 30 per cent of the cancers; will that change as the two most infectious ones are blocked?
I found that I ended up copying a lot of what he said…but there is some stuff I left out. The third point I listed is similar to one I’ve made before about detecting early stages of cervical dysplasia. The people most likely to develop cervical cancer and die from it…are not the ones going to get the Gardasil vaccine or seek routine medical care (either out of lack of health insurance, access, embarrassment, or lack of knowledge).
I still think a program aiming at education (not pure abstinence…because clearly it’s not working) and open communication between schools, parents, and kids, is the best and most effective way to combat cervical cancer, STDs, and pregnancy. As a bonus…no negative side effects! Well, maybe having to live down the emotional trauma of talking to your parents about sex…
