About 4,000 women die every year from cervical cancer. But thanks to a new vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus -- a virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer -- that could change.\nThis summer, the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine that protects against four types of the sexually transmitted HPV -- two that cause cervical cancer and two that cause genital warts -- for women between the ages of 9 and 26.
WHAT IS HPV?
\nHPV is a virus with about 100 different strains, approximately 30 of which can be transmitted sexually. It can be transmitted through sexual or anal intercourse or simply through genital skin-to-skin contact, a facet that makes it more easily transmissible than diseases that are only passed through the exchange of bodily fluids. Most strains of the virus are harmless and the human body can fight them off naturally, leaving many with HPV unaware they ever acquired it at all. \nSome forms of HPV, however, can cause genital warts or cervical cancer. \nAccording to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts. \n"HPV is prevalent because it is easily passed between people with skin-to-skin contact," said Anne Reese, the health center's director of health and wellness. "Most people don't know they have the virus." \nAn estimated 80 percent of females will have sexually acquired one of the 30 forms of HPV by the time they reach 50, said Cathy Hansell, senior director of medical services for Planned Parenthood of Indiana. \n"It's really endemic in the population," she said.\nClinicians say HPV is sometimes hard to explain to people because there are no tests to diagnose it. Annual Pap smears -- exams of cells from a women's cervix tested for cancerous or precancerous cells -- are recommended for women, but the tests only produce results if cells are abnormal. There are no HPV tests for men.\n"People say they are tested for everything, but you can't be tested for everything. People are shocked. It's very frustrating because you can't give them concrete answers," said Kathryn Brown, a health educator at the IU Health Center. \nReese said HPV is "undetectable in men unless they see warts" and undetectable in women unless they see warts or have an abnormal Pap smear. \n"There's not a comprehensive diagnosis," she said. \nThough the vaccine for some types of HPV was recently approved, there is still no cure for HPV.
WHAT IS THE VACCINE?
\nAccording to Planned Parenthood, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection the United States, but about 70 percent of Americans have never heard of it. The approval of the vaccine, however, has brought awareness of the virus to the media forefront, Reese said.\n"The whole HPV awareness because of the vaccine is a good thing," she said. "People give time to think about safer sex and what they can do to protect themselves."\nThe vaccine was approved in June and is currently available at the health center, Reese said. Though it is not yet available at Planned Parenthood, Hansell said it should be available at its clinics soon. \nThe vaccine is given in doses of three shots over a six-month period. According to the CDC, the vaccination costs about $360, which some insurance companies cover. A federal program will cover the costs of shots for women younger than 19 who are uninsured or Medicaid-eligible, American Indian or Alaska natives.
CAN I GET VACCINATED?
\nThe vaccine is recommended for girls 11 to 12 but has also been approved for use those aged 9 to 26.\nCollege-age women can get the vaccine, Reese said, though it is difficult to tell whether they have already been exposed to one of the four strains of HPV the vaccine protects against. Even if women have been exposed to any of the four strains, getting the vaccine can still protect them from the others to which they have not been exposed.\nReese recommended any women interested in receiving the HPV vaccine schedule a consultation with a nurse practitioner to discuss the issue. \nHealth care professionals still recommend regular Pap smears for women who have received the vaccine. \n"Getting the vaccine will not substitute for routine cancer screenings, as there are still other types of HPV, and it doesn't protect against (the 26) HPV types not in the vaccine," Hansell said.
THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE VACCINE
\nVaccinating children for HPV at birth is not an option because it is not known if the vaccine will last into adulthood. The vaccine has been recommended for girls between the ages of 9 and 12 in an effort to get them protected from HPV before they become sexually active. But some argue that giving the vaccine to girls at such a young age sends the wrong message, encouraging some to become sexually active.\n"(Girls) shouldn't get the shot at 9. That's ridiculous. Most probably don't even know what (sex) is," freshman Katie Robbins said. "It seems way young for a shot that is technically for an STD ... that's not going to happen. HPV causes lots of problems but to give (the shot) that young is ridiculous. If they give it to kids, they should wait until their teen years as opposed to 12 or 9."\nBut Reese disagrees. She says drugs that help reduce the risk of some of consequences of sex, such as pregnancy, do not affect sexual activity.\n"There have been many studies that have shown having contraceptives does not change people's sexual activity levels," Reese said. "More education and prevention information shared is empowering and helps people make better decisions."\nOthers shared Reese's view and said they didn't believe being vaccinated for HPV gives girls any license to become more sexually active.\n"It's better to be safe than sorry. And if they're gonna have sex, they're gonna have sex," freshman Tori Tucker said. "Getting the vaccination may support the decision to have sex, but it will help later. If I had kids, I'd want them to have it and want them to be safe."\nFreshman Jackie Kochell agreed: "Just because you get a tetanus shot, that doesn't encourage people to put nails in their fingers. It's better to be safe."\nHansell said the goal of the age recommendation for administering the vaccine is to ensure that girls are protected before they become sexually active.\n"That's why they recommend giving it to young people," Hansell said. "The best thing to do is to give it before sexual exposure because vaccines are about prevention, not really about treatment."\nReese cautioned that women who receive the vaccine can still be at risk for other STDs and pregnancy. \n"Realistically, if you want to be sexually active, you can lower the risk with condoms and contraceptives. The vaccine adds another layer of protection, but there's always some risk, especially since they don't have a 100 percent diagnosis or a cure (for HPV)," she said. "It's just another thing they can do to protect themselves"
