Texas became the first state in the nation Friday to mandate vaccination against human papillomavirus for girls entering sixth grade, and it’s time California followed its example.
Liberal left-coasters should be embarrassed that Texas ““ a state that has mandated abstinence-only education since 1995 ““ beat us to the punch on one of the most pressing and controversial sexual health issues currently facing the United States.
HPV is the nation’s most common sexually transmitted disease ““ an estimated one in four 15- to 24-year-olds is infected, and estimates for the lifetime infection rate are as high as 75 to 80 percent.
In other words, nearly everyone will catch it ““ if you haven’t already.
This highly prevalent infection causes more than 90 percent of cases of the second-most common cancer among women ““ cervical cancer.
Normal safe-sex practices do not entirely protect one against HPV.
Like genital herpes, HPV can be located in areas that condoms don’t cover, and since it can be spread through plenty of forms of sexual activity, abstinence from intercourse is a faulty form of protection.
There currently is also no way to test men for HPV infection, so even responsible partners who are getting tested for STDs are vulnerable.
The HPV vaccine currently on the market ““ Merck & Co.’s Gardasil ““ gives complete protection against the strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts.
Despite its clear public health benefits, state-mandated vaccination against HPV at a young age for girls in order to provide protection before beginning sexual activity is controversial.
Some social conservatives have taken issue with this, using the same tired argument they whip out for every sex-related issue, such as sex education and condom availability ““ vaccination will give youngsters license to have unprotected sex at a whim.
Gardasil is also the most expensive vaccine ever developed ““ costing approximately $350 for the three-dose administration.
The high cost raises questions of who will pay for the mandated vaccine ““ surely some of the cost burden will be passed on to the state.
But any supposed negatives to the HPV vaccination are far outweighed by its clear public health benefits.
No young girl should be denied a vaccine that significantly prevents a deadly cancer because of her parents’ religious or ideological beliefs. And any cost of the vaccine borne by the state ““ either through government insurance programs or clinics that receive state funding ““ is well worth it.
California’s state government needs to mandate that the HPV vaccine be added to the state’s immunization schedule for school children.
In addition, significant effort should be made to ensure that girls older than the ages recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are immunized as well, and that the vaccine is made available at no or low cost to the poor and uninsured.
The state should take the opportunity to protect its citizens against a cancer-causing sexually transmitted disease the same way it does against chicken pox and measles ““ and save a few lives in the process.