DESIREE HARRIS

Is Your Daughter Really Protected?

Vaccinating your daughter against cervical cancer is a growing concern for parents. Fortunately, our parent workshops assist parents in understanding that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted disease and is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. Though there are a few cases in which infants obtained the disease from his/her infected mother, HPV is primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. The chance of getting cervical cancer without having HPV is extremely small. Current statistics show that there are over 6 million people infected with HPV within the United States; and close to 4,000 women die each year from cervical cancer. Society’s answer to this problem is simple: vaccinate. The pharmaceutical company, Merck, received FDA approval for the first anti-cancer vaccine, Gardasil. The Merck Company claims Gardasil prevents cervical cancer by targeting strains of HPV. What they do not tell parents is there are approximately 130 types of HPV. Of the 130 strains, only 30 types cause genital diseases. The other 100 strains can cause warts in other locations. Some of these 30 strains cause genital warts while others can lead to complications resulting in cervical cancer. Gardasil protects women from only four strains of cancer-causing HPV. So, even if parents decide to have their daughter vaccinated with Gardasil, she is still susceptible to the other 26 strains of HPV leading to cervical cancer and 100 strains causing warts in other locations. Since studies show that 99 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, abstinence until marriage is the only 100 percent effective way to prevent cervical cancer.

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