Should your daughter get the HPV vaccine?

Should your daughter get the HPV vaccine?
We are living in a jet age and children are getting exposed to facts of life at a rather early age. TV, Internet and other forms of mass media communication leave nothing to imagination and push the children to experiment with the forbidden fruit in their very early formative years. Children with their limited knowledge, shyness, inhibitions and intent of secrecy can become a victim to sexually transmitted diseases (STD) which can mature into cervical cancer.

According to Wikipedia, HPV vaccine is a safeguard against certain sexually transmitted strains of human papillomavirus associated with the development of cervical cancer and genital warts. HPV vaccine is being marketed by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd under the name of Gardasil and provides full immunity to four types of HPV. This vaccine is being given free to girls with their parents consent in schools generally in age group of 12 to 13 years, before they become sexually active. Presently the program is on in Ontario, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. Rest of the provinces and territories have either delayed the program or not announced any decision yet. Ottawa has announced $300 million funding package for participating provinces.
Mother and Daughter Discuss HPV and Cervical Cancer - A girl student of class 8 attended one such lecture on HPV and Cervical cancer in her school and thereafter had an informal chat with her mother. She has been having friendly talks with her mother on similar issues earlier. The part of the informal talk are reproduced below for the benefit of those who are not very comfortable talking to their mothers on such issues or simply not so lucky as Daniel.(Idea taken from http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3537&channel_id=2037&relation_id=29304
Daniel – Mom, we had a talk by the school doctor and she talked about HPV and the vaccine.
Mom – So what did you learn about HPV?
Daniel – I learnt the following facts about HPV and the vaccine :-
a. HPV stands for Human papillmavirus.
b. Cervical Cancer- HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which can develop into cervical cancer and genital warts.
c. How does HPV spread?- Sexual activity spreads the virus and it is the most common sexually transmitted disease.
d. How common and deadly is Cervical cancer?- According to American Cancer society, in 2007, there will be about 11,150 new US cases of invasive cervical cancer and 3,670 cervical cancer deaths. In Canada, about 1350 woman were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2006. On an average more than one Canadian woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer everyday.
e. At what age is one likely to get HPV?-About half of HPV patients are aged 15 to 24 years. Survey suggests that 3.7% of US girls have had sex by age of 13 years and 62.4% by grade 12.
f. What is the right age for preventive vaccine?-12 to 13 years of age which is an average age of grade 8 student. However it can be taken anytime from 9 years to 26 years.
g. What is Gardasil?- It is the new vaccine against four strains of HPV which account for 70% of cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts. It protects before the virus can reach you. However once diagnosed it can not treat for cervical cancer and genital warts.
h. Does Gardasil protect against all cervical cancers?- No.The vaccine does protect against the strains of HPV most likely to cause cancer.But it does not protect against all HPV strains.
i. How effective is the new vaccine? -Studies have shown it is 100% effective in the prevention of cervical precancers and noninvasive cervical cancers caused by HPV-16 and 18 in those not already exposed to those strains.
j. If someone is already sexually active, will this vaccine still work?- If a person has been infected with any of the four strains the vaccine protects against, the vaccine won't provide protection against that type. But it will prevent infection from the other three.
k. How long is Gardasil effective?- Research suggests the vaccine lasts at least four years. Long-term results are not yet certain. The protection might last longer.
l. Does the vaccine actually contain HPV or any live virus? -No. It has a virus-like particle, but not the actual virus.
m. Is Gardasil safe?- Clinical trial data have found it is safe.
n. Will the new vaccine make cervical cancer screens such as the Pap test passé?- No. Screening with a Pap test is still needed, since the vaccine does not protect against all cervical cancer.
o. Is this the only vaccine for cervical cancer? -There's a second vaccine in the works: Cervarix, from GlaxoSmithKline. Cervarix targets two HPV strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18.
Mom- That,s a good knowledge you have picked up. So do you think, we should go ahead and take the vaccine.
Daniel- I think so, but I am not sure of its side effects.
Mom- Well I have this information which I have taken directly from the Vaccine Information Statement
HPV vaccine does not appear to cause any serious side effects.However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of any vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Several mild problems may occur with HPV vaccine:
Pain at the injection site (about 8 people in 10)
Redness or swelling at the injection site (about 1 person in 4)
Mild fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit) (about 1 person in 10)
Itching at the injection site (about 1 person in 30)
Moderate fever (102 degrees Fahrenheit) (about 1 person in 65)
These symptoms do not last long and go away on their own.
Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
Like all vaccines, HPV vaccine will continue to be monitored for unusual or severe problems.
Daniel- Thanks mom, I think I will go ahead with the vaccine.
Mom- Good, not scared of the needle. Brave girl, C'mon give me a hug. And you can take my consent on the form.

Like Daniel's mother most of the parents say that anything that protects our daughter from cancer is worth the risk while some are worried about the side effects and feeling a certain uneasiness about dosing girls as young as 10 years with protection from STD. It often leads to some interesting though awkward family conversations. Adding stress to parents is the financial factor that if done at a later stage, it will be from their pocket and will cost $400/- for three doses over six months. Others feel that the whole program could be a massive marketing campaign since it involves big money and politicians recommending it may be only after votes.

Looking at pros and cons, it is better to be on safe side and it is a good idea to take the vaccine now. Even if the girl is very young and not sexually active, she is going to forget about it once the needle mark vanishes. She may be a virgin on her wedding night but who can be sure of her partner. Parents who are delaying the decision now may continue to postpone the vaccination later on also either due to financial reasons or time constraint.

Something which can be done today with lesser effort and no money, must not be delayed, especially when it means life and death of your child. Let us take an educated, safe and sensible decision now instead of an expensive action later.