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Mandatory Human Papilloma Virus

Decent Essays

Suzie Toraitis
Professor Connie Yandow
Seminar in Education Inquiry
04 March 2011 Research Draft

Mandatory Human Papilloma Vaccine
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most commonly sexually transmitted disease in the United States. It is estimated that at least 80% of men and women acquire an HPV infection during their lifetime. “In a recent study of women in the United States 25% of fourteen to nineteen year olds were infected with at least one type of HPV. HPV is often acquired within a few months of sexual initiation, even among people with only one partner”. (Contemporary OB/GYN) Men are the main carriers of this infection but once a woman has been exposed to the infection she is also a carrier of HPV. Once a person has been …show more content…

Approximately 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer occur each year worldwide, 260,000 of which are fatal. In the U.S., it is estimated that there were over 9,700 cases of cervical cancer in 2006, and of these 3,700 resulted in deaths”. Vaccinations are one of the most successful public health approaches to preventing and controlling infectious diseases. According to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices the vaccine has been proven to be virtually 100% effective against the two types of HPV that are responsible for some 70% of cervical cancers.
HPV cannot be avoided by using condoms the only hope of not becoming infected with this STI is by having the HPV vaccinations or living a celibate life. This vaccination is a series of three vaccines given over a six month period. There have been fears by the public about the safety of the vaccine by many parents. However, in clinical trials conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“As of December 31, 2008, more than 23 million doses of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine had been distributed in the United States; as of that date, the VAERS database included 11,916 reports of adverse events after HPV vaccination. Of these 94% were considered to be non-serious, they included dizziness, syncope, nausea, pain at the

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