Cervical Cancer and The HPV Vaccine Controversy Where...

HPV Vaccination Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancerous death, in women, since 1950. Approximately 200,000 cervical cancer patients die each year in developing countries. Strains like HPV 16 and 18 cause about 70% of cervical cancer in women– one of the top causes of death in the world (WebMD, 2010, p.1). In the Unites States, about 10,000 women acquire the disease and 3,700 die annually Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is directly associated as a cause of cervical cancer. This virus affects the skin and genital area and, in some cases, it can also infect the throat and mouth. Since the HPV is passed from one person to another through skin-to-skin or sexual contact, sexually active people are more prone to this virus. Merck†¦show more content†¦Merck has heavily promoted it, many political leaders have endorsed it, and the FDA has given it their seal of approval. Critics argue that mandatory vaccination sends an implicit message that lack of abstinence will be to lerated by young people living in the United States. Since the approved age for the vaccination ranges from 9 to 26, some critics state that children may become involved in sex at a very young age. Medical experts suggest, on the other hand, that young boys and girls should be vaccinated at the age of 11 or 12, to protect them before they become active in sex (Stein, 2009). This raises the controversy that the vaccine will promote promiscuity. This will become consent for premarital sex. As long as congressional funding for the FDA decreases and funding from drug companies increase, there will be skepticism about whether or not the FDA is acting independently. FDA is reliant on drug companies for substantial amounts of funding. As the percentage of funding from drug companies increases, more and more money is directed toward putting drugs on the market. Critics are concerned that the FDA is pressured by drug companies and that this pressure may hurt its objectivity. As Gardiner Harr is has pointed out, the FDA keeps receiving a larger percentage of its budget from such companies: Indeed, half of the budget for the agency’s Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research, the principal office that oversees