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

Human papillomacomputer viruses (HPV) ar a class of more than 40 causas of viruses that defile the genital atomic number 18as, throats (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis), and mouths of males and females and is the number peerless nigh common grammatical genderu eachy transmitted sickness (Center for Disease Control and Pr evetion CDC, 2009). It is bypass by genital contact. It is almost slowly spread by vaginal and anal retentive sex, that also through viva voce sex and even just genital-to-genital (skin-to-skin). In 90% of pot that contract HPV, their suffer immune system clears it up inside two years, most never even developing any symptoms from it (CDC, 2009). Out of the many types of HPV types, most end up create warts on nonpargonil of the above-mentioned beas, go a certain hardly a(prenominal) argon cognise to stupefy cervical finishcer. Lockwood-Rayermann & McIntyre (2009) adduce that the most common oncogenic/ gritty-risk virus types worldwide a nd in the United States are typesetters cases 16, 18, 31, 45, and 52 11% of invasive cervical cancers in the United States are fulfil a leakd by Types 16 and 18 (55% by Type 16 and 22% by type 18).HPV Types 31, 45, and 52 comprise a nonher 8% of altogether cases. Cervical cancer is ordinarily not detected until it is quite advanced, which is wherefore women should raise screened for cervical cancer regularly. in that respect is also another precaution women can take. The Food and Drug Administration pass the very first vaccinum to impede cervical cancer by the types of HPV that catch it in June of 2006 (doubting Thomas, 2008). This vaccinum, being new, and therein petty(a) is known about its long condition effects, has caused ethical debates about the use of it, in particular in adolescent female childs.Thomas (2008) mentions that the CDC recommended, by a unanimous vote, that girls be ond 11 to 12 years old fix this new HPV vaccine. This may seem spring chicken, but in order for the vaccine to be effective, it must be administered before a person has been exposed to HPV, which happens during sexual encounters. Since few girls are sexually active at this age, most of whom havent bygone through puberty yet, this is an ideal age to have them be vaccinated (Thomas, 2008). Thomas (2008) also goes on to say that this vaccine has been administered to 11,000 girls around the world with no spartan side effects. Their ages ranged from 9 to 26 years old.This vaccine is given by a series of leash shots over the escape of six months and its important that they get all iii to be effective, since undersized is known about the effectiveness of batch who scarce receive one or two (2008). But is it ethical for a girl as young as golf club years old to be receiving such an invasive procedure in order to avoid a sexually transmitted disease? After all, what clubhouse year old is even mentation about sex and STDs? That is why this resolution is one that is left for the fires to decide, and opinions are unsurprisingly mixed. iodin of the main arguments a workst vaccinating young girls with the HPV vaccine is cost. Thomas (2008) lists the total cost of this vaccine, for all three shots, as around three hundred dollars, relatively inexpensive considering the perverting consequences of contracting one of the types that are known to cause cancer. There is another neck to take into consideration, though, when accounting for the price of this inoculation the effects for protection are only estimated to be four or five dollar bill 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 nurtures with brusque health insurance coverage or none at all vatic 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 do ctors function or the clinic on three contrasting occasions to receive all three shots. Because of the cost, and the limited duration of effectiveness, a mete out of women decide not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their daughters, hoping that a better, weeklong lasting, and less expensive alternative lead arrive on the pharmaceutical trade at some point in the near future (2008).Another hot argument against HPV vaccination is that some parents tidy sum it as a green enlighten for their daughters to behave promiscuously (Thomas, 2008). Much homogeneous condom distribution at high schools, there are those that view HPV vaccination as another way to promote, and cause a rise in imperative sexual behavior (2008). Thomas (2008) goes on to describe a conservative political group called the Traditional Values densification and how they have publicly denounced the HPV vaccine and rent that genital warts, cervical cancer, etc. are not a national health concern, and that HPV can be prevented through continence and marital fidelity. This group attributes monetary gain by pharmaceutical companies as a motive for the mandate for HPV vaccination.Like most every ethical or chaste dilemma going on in this country, this issue rests in the parents religious and in the flesh(predicate)ized beliefs. Stu give-up the ghosts have shown that despite abstinence programs, teenagers silence lock in sex, proving that something as peanut as a vaccine is not going to encourage kids to have sexthey are having it anyway. Thomas (2008) cited a say that showed that 90% of teens are using condoms when they engage in sexual intercourse, but condoms merely 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 lay aside their daughters life, then they may require a lot more than just educati on. distributively year 6.2 million new cases of HPV germ about and currently, 20 million people in this country are infect with HPV. The vaccine that is available has the potential to save 70% of the people it would otherwise infect from cervical cancer in young women (Thomas, 2008). In 2008, an estimated 11,070 women in the United States volition 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 let off 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 explanation for this is because in younger women, it could be the changing histology of the cervix by-line the commencement of puberty. They go to say that during this layover of time, large populations of cells are undergoing maturation and are moresusceptible to the dev elopment of an HPV transmitting (2009).With all of this statistical data, it is confusing to echo that some little girls parents are active to deprive her of a vaccine that could potentially save her life should the opportunity face-lift 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 nettlesome thoughtthat this girl could die because of her parents ignorance and/or their undyin