EDITORIAL SHOT OF COMMON SENSE WHY ARE WE EVEN DEBATING THE HPV VACCINE?IMAGINE there was a vaccine for cancer. Would some people object to it being available to everyone? Of course not. So why is there such a debate over the availability of a vaccine against a disease that causes cervical cancer Cervical Cancer Definition Cervical cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. -- the second-most-common cancer for women? The reason is the sex angle. Gardasil is a vaccine against the human papilloma virus human papilloma virus n. Abbr. HPV A DNA virus of the genus Papillomavirus, certain types of which cause cutaneous and genital warts in humans, including condyloma acuminatum. , a sexually transmitted disease sexually transmitted disease (STD) or venereal disease, term for infections acquired mainly through sexual contact. Five diseases were traditionally known as venereal diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, and the less common granuloma inguinale, that causes cervical cancer. Some believe any protection from the consequences of sex -- pregnancy, reputation or fatal diseases -- will encourage girls to be sexually active. The numbers show that this disease doesn't care about the politics of sex. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. , one U.S. female in four between ages 14 and 59 has some form of HPV HPV human papillomavirus. HPV abbr. human papilloma virus Human papilloma virus (HPV) . The damage is already done. We have the tool to stop it. This isn't about sex; this is about saving lives. And vaccinating teenage girls seems sensible as a way to do that. |
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