HPV/Genital Warts

HPV/Genital Warts

The estimated number of people living in the United States with an incurable sexually transmitted disease is 65 million. Every year there are around 15 million new cases of (STD's) few of which are curable. It is because of young age, ignorance, and most likely embarrassment why these numbers are so high. Two-Thirds of STD cases occur in people 25 years of age and younger. The "college scene" has to burden a lot of the responsibility. Many of the young adults contracting these sexually transmitted diseases are unaware of the fact they are infected, and many of which that are aware, are too embarrassed to inform their sexual partner prior to engaging in sexual activity. There are two diseases in particular that stand out in my mind when thinking of STD's and those are Genital Herpes, and HPV.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a vaccine that targets certain sexually transmitted strains of human papillomavirus associated with the development of cervical cancer and genital warts. Two HPV vaccines are currently on the market: Gardasil and Cervarix” (wikipedia 2007). The HPV vaccines are recommended for girls ages 11-26, who have never been sexually active. The HPV vaccine does not treat cervical cancer, it may prevent cancer. Some states are considering making the HPV vaccination a requirement for girls, before they can attend school. Although, the HPV vaccination has the potential to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts, it should not be a requirement by state law for young girls entering school because this is a decision that should be made by the parents, the disease is not easily transmitted in the school environment, and there is not enough evidence to know whether the HPV vaccination is safe.

The decision of whether or not a young girl should receive the HPV vaccination should be left up to the parents, not the state because it would require young girls to use a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease before they are sexually active. This would interfere with parental influence in the teaching of moral values. Parents would have to talk to their children about sex, because of the vaccination earlier than they would expect. Parents have the right to make decisions about every invasive medical procedure, including all vaccines that are injected in their children.

HPV is not a disease that is transmitted by sitting next to someone in class. It is not an infectious disease that flies through the air with no boundaries. Diseases such as chicken pox, measles, and mumps are communicable diseases that spread if a schoolmate coughs on other schoolmates or shares a juice box at lunch. The flu virus is a virus that often starts in school. The flu virus vaccination is not a requirement for young children before entering school. “The flu virus spreads through the air when a person who has the virus sneezes, coughs, or speaks. The flu can be passed on if a person touches an object that someone with the virus sneezed or coughed ...