Of course girls who get this shot will become sexually active, they only have the LITTLE things like getting pregnant and getting AIDS to worry about.. HAHA Far right religious idiots go to far, THIS shot will save lives, and they presumabley say they belive in saving lives, but there actions speak louder than words. People will die if they dont get this shot before they become sexually active. And since they cant get condoms to protect thomselves because of idiotic absintance only programs in schools, people will die because of those that say they are there to protect lives
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What do you think about criticism that Merck is promoting the drug too much?
It's a double-edged sword. The article [in today's New York Times] displays a healthy level of skepticism [about] whether or not there are explicit or implicit incentives to promote this vaccine beyond the health implications of the population. I don't want to comment on whether or not it's tipped that scale, but I think for sure there's a danger there. Which is why we, as academics, have tried to really veer away from any kind of link to industry when we're doing this kind of work. We don't want to be perceived as remotely having any kind of incentive to promote this product.
With people who do get endorsements and speaker fees from the pharmaceutical companies, it's not that there's necessarily ill intent. It's hard to disentangle. You can't divorce the industry from the science because they're the ones who produce it. There's a slippery slope when it comes to marketing and promoting, and education.
What should the public know about the vaccine that may not be coming across in the coverage of the issue?
Women need to continue to get screened with the Pap smear or a screening technology, including the HPV DNA test. The vaccine is targeting two of many different types that can cause cervical cancer. We can't stop screening. This isn't the panacea against cervical cancer. It's really helpful, but we need to continue screening.
If you had daughters, at what age would you get them vaccinated?
I don't want to comment on that. That brings in not only science, but philosophical, religious beliefs.
What are implications for the rest of the world, where cervical cancer is more prevalent? [In the United States last year, an estimated 11,150 women developed cervical cancer and 3,600 died from it.]
It's a much bigger deal in other parts of the world. This is where the burden is the highest--in countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. It has huge implications. It's expensive. At the current price, it's way too expensive for these countries that have GDPs that are a fraction of what we have in the United States. From a public-health perspective, it's a great opportunity to promote cervical cancer prevention. It would be a shame if money was the deterrent, but it's very expensive.
What's the next line of research on the HPV vaccine?
We need more time to know how long it's effective. We'd love to know if it's efficacious in boys. Does it help prevent other health conditions?
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