Advantages and Disadvantages of the HPV Vaccine in Adolescent Girls: An Ethical Essay

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a group of to a greater extent than 40 types of viruses that befoul the venereal areas, throats (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis), and mouths of males and females and is the number one most common sexu all in ally transmitted disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, 2009). It is spread by genital contact. It is most easily spread by vaginal and anal sex, but also finished oral sex and even just genital-to-genital (skin-to-skin). In 90% of people that contract HPV, their own immune system clears it up within deuce years, most never even developing any symptoms from it (CDC, 2009). Out of the umteen types of HPV types, most end up causing warts on one of the above-mentioned areas, while a certain few are known to cause cervical butt jointcer. Lockwood-Rayermann & McIntyre (2009) state that the most common oncogenic/high-risk virus types worldwide and in the linked States are Types 16, 18, 31, 45, and 52 11% of invasive cervica l malignant neoplastic diseases in the United States are caused by Types 16 and 18 (55% by Type 16 and 22% by type 18).HPV Types 31, 45, and 52 comprise another 8% of all cases. Cervical cancer is usually not detected until it is quite advanced, which is why women should get screened for cervical cancer regularly. There is also another precaution women can consider. The Food and Drug Administration approved the very first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer by the types of HPV that cause it in June of 2006 (Thomas, 2008). This vaccine, being new, and in that little is known about its long term effects, has caused honorable debates about the use of it, particularly in adolescent girls.Thomas (2008) mentions that the CDC recommended, by a satisfying vote, that girls aged 11 to 12 years old receive this new HPV vaccine. This whitethorn seem small, but in order for the vaccine to be effective, it moldiness be administered before a person has been exposed to HPV, which happens during s exual encounters. Since few girls are sexually active at this age, most of whom fathernt foregone through puberty yet, this is an ideal age to have them be inject (Thomas, 2008). Thomas (2008) also goes on to say that this vaccine has been administered to 11,000 girls around the world with no serious side effects. Their ages ranged from 9 to 26 years old.This vaccine is given by a series of three shots over the course of six months and its important that they get all three to be effective, since little is known about the effectiveness of people who only receive one or two (2008). But is it ethical for a girl as newfangled as nine years old to be receiving such an invasive procedure in order to avoid a sexually transmitted disease? After all, what nine year old is even thinking about sex and STDs? That is why this issue is one that is left for the parents to decide, and opinions are unsurprisingly mixed.One of the main arguments against vaccinating young girls with the HPV vaccin e is cost. Thomas (2008) lists the total cost of this vaccine, for all three shots, as around three hundred dollars, relatively inexpensive considering the detrimental consequences of contracting one of the types that are known to cause cancer. There is another issue to take into consideration, though, when accounting for the price of this vaccination the effects for protection are only estimated to be four or five years (2008). If a young girl were to be vaccinated at nine years old, and again at ages twelve, sixteen, and twenty, you are looking at close to one thousand dollars in total.How are parents with poor health insurance coverage or none at all supposed to protect their daughters for this virus that can cause cervical cancer? A parent can also anticipate losing a days pay to take their child to the doctors office or the clinic on three different occasions to receive all three shots. Because of the cost, and the limited duration of effectiveness, a lot of women decide not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their daughters, hoping that a better, longer lasting, and less expensive alternative will arrive on the pharmaceutical market at some draw a bead on in the near future (2008).Another popular argument against HPV vaccination is that some parents view it as a green light for their daughters to behave promiscuously (Thomas, 2008). Much like condom distribution at high schools, there are those that view HPV vaccination as another way to promote, and cause a rise in irresponsible sexual behavior (2008). Thomas (2008) goes on to describe a conservative political group called the Traditional Values conglutination and how they have publicly denounced the HPV vaccine and claim that genital warts, cervical cancer, etc. are not a national health concern, and that HPV can be prevented through abstinence and marital fidelity. This group attributes monetary gain by pharmaceutical companies as a motive for the mandate for HPV vaccination.Like most every eth ical or moral dilemma going on in this country, this issue rests in the parents religious and personal beliefs. Studies have shown that despite abstinence programs, teenagers still contract in sex, proving that something as insignificant as a vaccine is not going to encourage kids to have sexthey are having it anyway. Thomas (2008) cited a story that showed that 90% of teens are using condoms when they engage in sexual intercourse, but condoms alone cannot protect you from HPV, making the vaccine all that more important for young girls to receive. If a parents cannot set aside their religious and personal beliefs long enough to acknowledge that this vaccine has the potential to save their daughters life, then they may require a lot more than just education.Each year 6.2 million new cases of HPV come about and currently, 20 million people in this country are infected with HPV. The vaccine that is available has the potential to save 70% of the people it would otherwise infect from c ervical cancer in young women (Thomas, 2008). In 2008, an estimated 11,070 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 3, 870 women will die from the disease (Lockwood-Raverrmann &McIntyre, 2009). Lockwood-Raverrmann & McIntyre (2009) go on to explain that the prevalence of HPV in peaks in women in their early twenties, and also go on to say that even younger women, i.e. teenagers, are more susceptible to the virus. They describe one possible comment for this is because in younger women, it could be the changing histology of the cervix following the commencement of puberty. They go to say that during this period of time, large populations of cells are undergoing maturation and are moresusceptible to the development of an HPV infection (2009).With all of this statistical data, it is confusing to think that some little girls parents are wide-awake to deprive her of a vaccine that could potentially save her life should the opportunity arise and she chooses to have sex. Again, said girl wouldnt even have to have vaginal intercourse to contract Type 16 HPV, which would years later cause cervical cancer in which she could quite realistically die from. It is a frustrating and infuriating thoughtthat this girl could die because of her parents ignorance and/or their undyin