Green | October 10, 2008 | 34 comments

25% of US teen girls vaccinated for cervical cancer

source: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-sci-gardasil10-2008oct10,0,4614108.story

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aswift1
About a quarter of the nation's teenage girls received the controversial cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil last year in its first full year of distribution, federal authorities said Thursday.

"For a new vaccine, 25% is really very good," Lance Rodewald, director of the division of immunization services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a telephone news conference releasing the data.


"We need to see that rate every year if we are going to meet our goal" of having 90% of teenagers vaccinated, he said.

But immunologist W. Martin Kast of USC's Keck School of Medicine said, "Twenty-five percent is not bad, but it's not good either."

He said data released earlier in the year by Gardasil's manufacturer, Merck & Co., show that only about 1% of Latina teens were receiving the vaccine, and "they are the population that needs it the most" because the frequency of infection is relatively high.


Researchers said the percentage of teens receiving two other relatively new vaccines also went up. About 32% of teenagers received the meningitis vaccine, up from 20%; and 30% received the tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough vaccine, up from 19%.

CDC recommends that girls get the cervical cancer vaccine and that all children get the other two when they are 11 or 12.

Merck received Food and Drug Administration approval to begin marketing Gardasil in June 2006. Experts say it spent $100 million marketing it in 2007 and had sales of about $1.5 billion.

The vaccine protects against four strains of human papilloma virus that account for about 70% of all cases of cervical cancer in the United States.

But the vaccine has been criticized on a number of fronts. Some scientists argue that it is only modestly effective and that its safety has not been adequately proved. Conservative groups say that giving it to young girls implies approval of sexual activity. And consumer advocates bemoan its high price -- $360 for a series of three shots.

The data, published in CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, came from the second year of the agency's annual National Immunization Survey for Teens. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with a representative sample of nearly 3,000 teens ages 13 to 17, then confirmed their answers with vaccination records from physicians.

They found that 25.1% of girls in the group had received at least one dose of the vaccine, which translates to about 2.5 million of the country's 10 million girls. Only a quarter of that group had received all three recommended doses, but officials noted that the series takes six months and many girls had not had time to complete it.

Results are unlikely to be as good this year, however. Merck reported sales were down 9% in the second quarter, and IMS Health Inc., which monitors drug use, said U.S. sales were off 34% in July and August, probably as a result of the faltering economy.
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34 comments // 25% of US teen girls vaccinated for cervical cancer

  • harechrishna
  • gnossos
  • jacijacijaci
  • subsecret
  • Bwittany
  • cheyroze
    • 0
      cheyroze  
    • subsecret:

      No one can force you to get vaccinated (except your parents of course). Once you're older you can claim religious exemption and all you have to do is fill out a sheet of paper. I've never been vaccinated and I attended public school and graduated from College.

    • 3 years ago
  • heck_yes
    • 0
      heck_yes  

    • My doctor nearly forced me to get the vaccine, and I don't think my mother would have let me out of the doctor's office without getting it. I didn't really put up too much of a fight, but I really didn't want it. It's a new vaccine,it's not well tested, and who knows what that could mean.

      I hope that in a few years from now we don't hear anything about some crazy side affects caused by the vaccine...That would seriously suck big time.

    • 3 years ago
  • 5thElement
  • jonny2times
  • BrianDavid
    • 0
      BrianDavid  

    • Vaccines can be good, but it's scary when people start mandating them. Soon this may become part of regular school vaccinations and that is something to think about.

    • 3 years ago
  • jjmaster
    • 0
      jjmaster  

    • Over a year ago, I saw the end of comments on Oprah wherin she "recommended" that young girls DID NOT NEED to get this vaccine? I am now skeptical about a vaccine that has not proven safe!

    • 3 years ago
  • Tradiggy
    • 0
      Tradiggy  

    • Well My daughter got I,cuz my mom and my sister both had problems and I didn't want her to go through that. If this is going to protect her why not!!

    • 3 years ago
  • Cuddlebones
  • oblivious
    • 0
      oblivious  

    • It was interesting to note that Texas last year mandated the vaccine for schoolgirls. However, even more interesting to note, was the Merck, the maker of Gardasil, was linked to Texas' Governor.

    • 3 years ago
  • think_free
  • ChristmasAsen
    • 0
      ChristmasAsen  
    • oblivious:

      Yeah, teen pregnancy is pretty normal down here. As normal as it could ever be.

      However, I didn't know this state was abstinence only as I have taken health in both the middle and high school levels and bother times the teacher stressed using condoms.

    • 3 years ago
  • cantucwearebrothers
    • 0
      cantucwearebrothers  

    • We as American's have been let down repeatedly by big pharm. How many perscription drugs have not been thoroughly tested before being ok'd by the FDA for our use and then a couple of years down the road they start causing serious problems. Some even fatal.

      I am always weary of newly introduced products. Particularly this vaccine that is being widly touted as a "must have".

      I'll hold off on vacinating my daughter for a while...let's give it a little time to reveal it's side effects.

    • 3 years ago
  • twistamr
    • 0
      twistamr  

    • i agree with the previous view. merck has scared every frantic mother and little girl that without this vaccine, our young women will die. generally, people don't trust pharmaceutical companies. even still, we seem to be hooked into paying their bills.

    • 3 years ago
  • anglcazn
    • 0
      anglcazn  

    • I oppose the idea of using Gardasil. It is a very dangerous drug that has not been thoroughly tested and the company is making bank by scaring women into thinking that they NEED the shot to be safe. You do not! The shot covers only 4 OF THE KNOWN 11 strands of HPV. The thing is, there is already HPV in your body and your body naturally fights it off. It will only become cancer WHEN LEFT UNTREATED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. This is another unwanted shot where pharmaceutical companies make the profit with no concern of the interest of the people.

      http://www.naturalnews.com/downloads/HPV-Vaccine-Effects.pdf

      "I’ve been told I have HPV. How do I know if or when it has cleared up?

      Most HPV infections will clear on their own. Those women that have long-standing HPV infections are more at risk for developing cervical precancerous lesions or cervical cancer. There is no shot or pill that is available to clear your HPV infection. Hopefully, as in most women, your body’s immune system will clear your HPV infection on its own. If your health care provider is performing an HPV test on you, and your test is negative, it is likely that your infection cleared."
      http://www.cervicalcancercampaign.org/hpvfacts/

      http://current.com/items/89082949_hpv_vaccine_linked_to_teen_s_paralysis

      http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/10/merck-fda-expand-gardasil-warnin...

      "HPV is very common, but cervical cancer is not. It is estimated that at least 80 percent of women will acquire a genital HPV infection by the time they reach the age of 50. Both younger and older women are at risk of cervical cancer because of infection with oncogenic HPV. The body’s defense mechanisms clear most HPV infections without any risk of the infection progressing to cancer. But some women infected with oncogenic HPV types develop long-term, persistent infections.''
      http://www.querycat.com/faq/04cda6d82a7732649069f686575ec50b

    • 3 years ago
  • neonlight144
    • 0
      neonlight144  
    • anglcazn:

      anglcazn, HPV is an sexually transmitted infection. It's true that, should you have the misfortune to contract it, it will clear on its own. What you don't realize is... the average time it takes to clear is 6-12 months. Most people are asymptomatic, so they don't even know they have it. Also, there is no known way to test for HPV in men... making the spread of this infection even easier. Gardasil is expensive, but worthwhile... it guards against the 4 most common strains of HPV, and according to WebMD, it's been tested safe on 11,000 women. Seems to me, if HPV is really the epidemic officials are touting it to be, this vaccine is more of a blessing than a curse!

    • 3 years ago
  • neonlight144
  • anglcazn
    • 0
      anglcazn  
    • anglcazn:

      "What you don't realize is... the average time it takes to clear is 6-12 months."
      Once cervical cells begin to change, it typically takes 10-15 years before invasive cervical cancer develops.
      http://www.thehpvtest.com/HPV-facts-cervical-cancer-faq.html#howcommon

      "Gardasil is expensive, but worthwhile... it guards against the 4 most common strains of HPV,and according to WebMD, it's been tested safe on 11,000 women."
      Why would you need Gardasil when you can do something yourself. BEFORE it becomes cancer, HPV will cause an infection and when left UNTREATED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, then it will become cancer. It's not like you get the HPV strains and BOOM, you have cancer. You can also check through checkup by getting a pap smear. And if you don't have any money or insurance, you can go through Planned Parenthood who will do it for free if you're under some money trouble.
      And has it really been tested safe? I have a woman giving me her account of how she has constant pain since she has gotten the shot. And I knew someone who explained to me that since the shot, she hasn't gotten her period since. It was 4 months ago.
      http://current.com/items/89082949_hpv_vaccine_linked_to_teen_s_paralysis

      "Seems to me, if HPV is really the epidemic officials are touting it to be, this vaccine is more of a blessing than a curse!"
      How was it an epidemic before? Only since Gardasil has been created and has run NUMEROUS advertisements of being this so-called "one-less" crap. HPV was around and has always been around. Other HPV may cause genital warts. HPV is already getting rid of by the body. You say it takes 6-12months before it is cleared. But if cleared by the body itself, the body will build immunity towards it. Thus, protecting itself. You do not need a vaccine that will prevent cancer. Even if you have cancer, it is still treatable, especially caught in the early stages. What you need, instead of a vaccine, it a regular pap smear. And like I said, you can have those done at Planned Parenthood for free.
      http://www.healthsquare.com/fgwh/wh1ch38.htm

      What a lot of people failed to miss are the words "Persistent" "Over a long period of time" "Several years" of the progression to cancer. HPV can be treated by your body or by a doctor with medication. Merck is a profiteering pharmaceutical company that cares more about money than the interests and health of it's consumers.

    • 3 years ago
  • neonlight144
  • ChristmasAsen
  • Bwittany
    • 0
      Bwittany  

    • i'm not getting it.
      if i ever get cervical cancer i will be damned.
      i'm a little sketchy on what i let people inject into my body.

    • 3 years ago
  • Cialo
    • 0
      Cialo  
    • Bwittany:

      Definitely agree. As a male I think the vaccination should be optional. I'm not sure if it is or not and I'm too lazy atm to look it up but yah, who knows what's in those vaccines. High mercury levels in blood have been attributed to certain common vaccinations.

      Love the icon BTW

    • 3 years ago
  • power_packed_ro
    • 0
      power_packed_ro  

    • that shot has something funny in it cause it hurts like hell still after 5 days and eat befor you get it done or you will pass out my ma dosent like it but for me its a must so i convince her =D

    • 3 years ago
  • PirateSauce
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  
    • PirateSauce:

      I know from personal experience that is not true since I have been vaccinated numerous times for different diseases and I am still alive.

      Cases of smallpox, polio and hepatitis have fallen off to only a handful in decades from vaccination.

    • 3 years ago
  • cheyroze
    • 0
      cheyroze  
    • PirateSauce:

      Finally someone knows what they're talking about. Vaccines cause Autism Spectrum Disorder in some children, and the smallpox vaccine can actually give you smallpox. This specific vaccine is not tested in the long run and we have NO IDEA what it does. Even the manufacturer admits that it only protects against certain types of cervical cancer, and it doesn't guarantee anything.

    • 3 years ago
  • zikolas
  • rwylie
  • aswift1
    • 0
      aswift1  

    • Yaemea- it's not covered by medical insurance and I'm not sure of the cost, but I doubt it's cheap.

      Until this is made affordable and/or covered by insurance, the women who need it most (the impoverished, minorities) won't get it. That's big pharma for ya- in it for the money.

    • 3 years ago
  • xunzx
  • Yaemea
    • 0
      Yaemea  

    • I don't see why girls don't get this. All it does is cause one little prick in the arm. I'd rather have that then cancer.

    • 3 years ago
  • nkeg87
    • 0
      nkeg87  
    • Yaemea:

      aswift is right. First, it isnt cheap at ALL. It's $125/dose or $375 total. While I am sure that is cheaper than Chemo, Im still not buying it. Im a girl and no I wont get that vaccine. Im also in pharmacy and no, I will not get that vaccine. I dont even get the flu shot. The side effects scare me [as with any drug/shot/whatever. I have not heard good things about this vaccine. I can wait and see if it proves to be what they want it to be. Or wait and see if they pull it in a few years. Either way, as long as you arent having unprotected sex there is NO reason for it.

    • 3 years ago
  • seanalyn
    • 0
      seanalyn  

    • great news! I think more girls should get this, hell it should be a normal vaccine like mumps! I hate the argument against it that this will make girls think its ok to have unprotected sex because thats just bull. Plus you know if this were reversed (a vaccine against HPV to protect guys from testicular cancer) then it would be a mandatory vaccine like mumps. The only reason why this one isnt mandatory is because the conservatives are all afraid that if women know they are protected against an STD then they will all become whores.

      /rant

    • 3 years ago
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