HPV: New Developments
The last time I wrote about the issues surrounding HPV (human papillomavirus) was back on May 19. It was around that time when U.S. states were considering enacting mandatory Gardasil vaccinations for school aged girls (between 11 – 13 years of age or sixth grade level depending on the state), and the debate surrounding these vaccinations. Coming out in favor of mandatory vaccinations was a fairly easy choice for me to make, but my only reservation was that I felt as tho I was being a bit of a shill for the pharmaceutical industry, however, I felt then, as I still do, that the benefits of vaccination outweighed any political guilt which may have lingered with me. Under most circumstances and on any given day, my opinion of pharmaceutical companies, the state of healthcare in the United States, and their associated Washington lobbyists is generally pretty low. These companies and their agents on Capitol Hill are far more concerned with their profits than the health of women, but again, given that the data showed that Gardasil could prevent almost all types of cervical cancer, dancing with the devil seemed like the right choice. So with all that, there’s some new information about HPV that I’d like to share with you.
Right now the only vaccine available for HPV is Gardasil which is manufactured by Merck. According to the Wall Street Journal, GlaxoSmithKline has applied to the FDA for approval of its competing vaccine Ceravix, and the drug company expects to market their product in the U.S. by 2008. Also according to the WSJ, there’s been some confusion about the use of these vaccines in the treatment of HPV.
A report published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that HPV vaccines do not provide any benefit to women who have already been exposed to the infection, tho most women who do become infected by this sexually transmitted disease usually clear the infection on their own, but the concern is in the vaccine’s ability to treat women once they’ve become infected.
Because the studies showed that there is no evidence that Gardasil or Ceravix benefits women already infected, it makes the argument for mandatory vaccinations at the six grade level that much stronger. Of concern is HPV type 16 & 18, which are believed to be responsible for 70% of all cervical cancers. Vaccinating girls before they become sexually active is the most effective way to protect them. Additionally, HPV type 16 & 18 are also a leading cause of penile, vulvar, anal, oral, pharyngeal, and head and neck cancers.
Virtually everyone who is sexually active is exposed to the virus, and HPV is the world’s most common sexually transmitted disease, hence the logic in protecting girls before they’ve begun to experiment and explore their sexuality, tho as the reports indicate, neither vaccine is intended for women as a treatment for a prevalent case of HPV infection.
To determine if the vaccine could help women clear the virus, researchers conducted a clinical trial in Costa Rica.
A total of 2,189 women ages 18 to 25 who were positive for HPV participated. About half of them received the HPV-16/18 vaccine and the other half the hepatitis A vaccine.
At 12 months, 48.8 percent of women who received the HPV vaccine had cleared the infection, compared to 49.8 percent who had not received the vaccine.
Also in Wednesday’s edition of JAMA, Lauri Markowitz, a medical epidemiologist and director of the HPV working group at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said the research shows that the “vaccine has no therapeutic efficacy.”
That, combined with the high likelihood of acquiring HPV infection shortly after the onset of sexual activity, demonstrates the vaccine must be administered in the early teens to be effective, she said.
Interestingly enough, a new marketing push in Canada is set to begin nationwide this week designed to encourage dialog between girls, parents and their doctors about receiving the Gardasil vaccine. The Canadian Health Officials are suggesting that girls as young as nine receive the vaccine. Why there has been so much resistance to Gardasil in the US by certain religious groups is truly a mystery to me. HPV, nor cancer, really cares who you pray to. And forget the chastity pledges. At some point everyone is going to be sexually active. Isn’t it better knowing that your child is protected?
This is really important. All women should get tested, and if you’re mother to a young daughter, it’s certainly something you should take seriously. The ability to prevent the horrors of cervical cancer is indeed a reality and may be within your control.
Other geishaland news
Yes, some big issues here in geishaland lately, tho I think they’re worth talking about. But I’ve been finding little ways to get some down time too! I spent the afternoon planting six miniature rose bushes in my garden. I got two red, one fuchsia, one white and two pinks! And the tomatoes are doing great too! Maybe I’ll take some pictures tomorrow and post them.
My son goes back to school in a couple of weeks (thank god!) I love having him around, but I’ve gotten next to nothing done this summer like writing, reviews, or much ‘brainy or seductive’ kind of writing, so maybe having more time to myself might help that along. I’m still working on all of the projects I’ve been going on and on about, so thanks for being so patient.
Oh yes, the Media page is done (in a way). Apple has some great new widgets to use on your blog or website which are based on your iTunes purchases or favorites which is kind of cool! I added one to the lower right corner of the front page as well as on the Media page so you can keep track of what the lazy geisha is spending her money on! Slowly but surely, things are progressing exactly the way they’re supposed to here.
Enjoy your evening and your Friday!
1The Butterfly Temptress
wrote on 17 August 2007 at 8:14
I am so glad that you have this covered, Nina. Really, I can see both sides of the debate and even understand it, but in light of the events of the last year, I will be having both of my girls vaccinated.
When I first went in for tests last year they asked if I’d ever been exposed to HPV. I didn’t think so, but I told them I didn’t know. Well, they didn’t test for it until the cervical cancer diagnosis had been made. Sure enough, I’d been exposed.
A lot of women think that it means they’re cheap or dirty because they were exposed but that isn’t always the case. For me, it was a matter of being raped and abused by someone who had it. (Men carry it, no matter what they say or think. It’s been proven that it’s men who help spread it.)
Here I am, a year later, and this is what I know-
I was exposed to HPV at an extremely young age then repeatedly after that. The repeated exposure combined with the trauma that my young body went through has led me to where I am today.
Though I hope my girls will never be abused the way I was, I’m smart enough to see the link between HPV and cervical cancer. I wasn’t promiscuous and I’d never hesitated to have regular Pap tests, etc. The odds aren’t in my daughters’ favor, so the least I can do is make sure that they’re vaccinated.
Again, thank you for helping to let other people know, Nina. I’ll be looking forward to hopefully seeing some pictures!
Much love,
The Butterfly Temptress
2JW
wrote on 17 August 2007 at 10:00
There are a series of articles by Judith Siers-Poisson here.
3Spring
wrote on 17 August 2007 at 12:31
I did quite a bit of writing about HPV over a two year period in my blog. My (now 17 year old) daughter was diagnosed during her first pelvic exam when she was 15. She also had an abnormal pap, which led to a colposcopy and biopsy, which led to three more colposcopies/ biopsies 6 months apart, until her last pap nearly 6 months ago was normal. We have had some very tense moments waiting for the results of those biopsies. And now that we’re making an appointment for the next pap, that anxiety is rising again.
She still has the virus, but she has a normal pap for now. She has to have paps every six months until she has, I believe the doc said, four normal paps in a row. Then she can go back to every year checkups.
I did have her get the immunization series, because, as the doc said, she may have one strain of HPV, but that actually makes her more vulnerable to the other strain(s) that are covered by gardisil.
I remember reading once that a state has to mandate the vaccine for kids in order for those without medical insurance or medicaid to get the vaccination without having to pay. And this vaccine is pretty darned pricey. If our insurance hadn’t covered it, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. That alone is enough reason to mandate it across the board. The mandate can contain the same ‘out’ that current vaccines have — that a parent objects on personal or religious grounds — so that those who don’t want it don’t have to have it, but those who want it and can’t afford it will have access.
4nina aoki
wrote on 18 August 2007 at 9:02
My beautiful Butterfly,
I need to thank you my sweet friend and dear sister for your courage and your strength in sharing your story with others so that they can understand how this can, and does, affect anyone. Your journal entries lately have been so heart wrenching to read, but I am so proud that you find the strength to share yourself with all of us even as you go thru what has to be the hardest thing any of us could ever have to face.
I’m also very happy that you bring to light that getting HPV doesn’t mean that you’re dirty or promiscuous. There are so many strains of the virus but it’s those two strains which can cause cervical cancer that we need to be worried about, not to mention the other two strains which can cause genital warts and other nasty things. It’s so common, and not only are men carriers of the virus (they most certainly are), men can also develop cancers, warts, and other problems because of exposure.
This has always been a delicate tightrope for me to walk, because I really hate some of the methods used by Merck (and other drug companies) to push their products, but I have to believe that if we can save even just one of us from the horrors of cervical cancer, then it’s worth it.
I love you sweetheart, and it’s because of you that I continue to call attention to this. You are in my thoughts every single day and I pray for your recovery my dearest.
love always,
nina
5nina aoki
wrote on 18 August 2007 at 9:09
JW,
Thank you for that link sweetheart. Truthfully, I’ve read them all already and I completely understand (and agree with to a point) her arguments. I too recoil at how Merck has engineered an awareness campaign about HPV in order to maximize their profits by scaring women, and yes, I completely agree that the price of the vaccines (three in all for treatment) are ridiculously expensive (tho covered by most health insurance plans), but those without insurance are priced right out of Gardasil. These are all real problems.
But the other side of the coin is just too compelling. We need to raise awareness and we need to get more women tested and we absolutely need to get girls protected at an early age. The only way any of these problems will truly be addressed or fixed is when we finally have a NOT-FOR-PROFIT-HEALTHCARE-SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
Thanks hon.
xoxo,
nina
6nina aoki
wrote on 18 August 2007 at 9:23
Hi Spring,
Oh wow, this must be a terrifying thing for the both of you to go thru! I cannot imagine being confronted with something so scary. I can only hope and pray that your daughter continues to have normal paps, but I can completely empathize with your anxiety.
Unfortunately, from what the data suggests, neither Gardasil nor Ceravix (once approved) will be useful in the treatment of HPV, which again is why I rail so hard on early testing and vaccination – but you bring up a great point in that getting the vaccinations anyway can still prevent exposure to the other strains of the virus, and if she’s already having abnormal paps, then I too would err on the cautious side and have her get the vaccinations anyway. Thank you for raising that point because I still think that HPV, Gardasil, and cervical cancer issues are misunderstood by a lot of us. So any bit of information, either medical or anecdotal is so valuable to share. It’s really appreciated.
Yes you’re quite correct about the mandated issue; if a vaccine is mandated by the state in order to go to school, much like MMR and Polio vaccines, then everyone has access to the vaccine, not just those who have private insurance. People without insurance can get any mandated vaccines at free health clinics, which is why I’m very much in favor of making Gardasil mandated for girls entering the sixth grade. I mean, we have to be realistic – it’s very likely that girls that age have not begun to be sexually active (good lord we hope!), so vaccinating them before they are is the only way to protect them.
And yes, Gardasil is ridiculously expensive. If anything, I hope all of the media attention, blog posts, and dialog about HPV and Gardasil will convince more of us to take our gender specific health issues more seriously.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and your story with me.
xoxo,
nina
7Terry
wrote on 19 August 2007 at 12:06
Nina,
Thank you so much for continuing to keep this issue of the HPV Vaccine in the forefront. I’ve been wanting to do something myself, but you say it so much better.
I agree 1000% that it’s inconceivable that there be a treatment readily available, but only to the rich. It seems to me that insurance companies and their actuary tables have put a price tag on the value of a human life.
Our health care system here in the US is in such dire need for a HUGE overhaul. But I’m afraid with the system already in place and the powerful lobbyists in DC, it will always be a war between the Haves and Have Nots.
I don’t understand how anyone in this day and age can seriously think that education will lead to promiscuity. The more we know, the better “armed” we are to defend and protect ourselves.
Watching our Butterfly sister go through this journey is almost more than one can bear, but it’s nothing compared to what she and thousands other are having to live with every day. Her strength and courage in blogging about her experience is indeed inspiring, and I hope and pray that her daughters and all young women can soon look forward to the possibility of a healthier future.
Can anyone imagine where we would be today without things we take for granted like the Polio Vaccine, Mumps Measles & Rubella (MMR) Vaccines, Smallpox, hepatitis A and B vaccines, the pneumococcal vaccine, and immunizations for chickenpox and meningitis? There would certainly be a lot less of us here to consider the possibilities.
With love,
Terry
8Alexa
wrote on 19 August 2007 at 20:29
Nina, I am SO glad you keep bringing this up. This disease is scary because I believe most of us have had it at one time and based on our own immune system, we “beat” it. Currently, there is more of it out there because there is more sex outside of monogamy and since men are the carriers and are asymptomatic us females are in deep stuff. It just takes touching an infected male to transmit the virus. So, I go back to my harping on people to eat healthy ALWAYS, not just when sick. We must eradicate fast food, fake food and love our bodies and feed them well. Given all the nutritious properties in a well rounded diet, the body can use these “ingredients” to fight off so much but we disable ourselves with our lifestyle.
I obtained my MBA in Health Care Management and the discussions we had regarding our present system was heated to say the least. With baby boomers aging, we have a serious problem and our for profit system is going to “tank” with the weight of uninsured in the very near future.
We need to all change our standard of living, i.e., cars, tvs, stereos etc and put our money into food, insurance or make a savings for healthcare if you can’t obtain insurance and exercise. We will soon be able to treat people according to their genetic code…but again, that will be for the haves. Those of us who are on the border line between getting assistance based upon our income are screwed. I know a lady who is very ill and has an IRA, very small one, but nonetheless, cannot obtain assistance because her income is 5 dollars over the limit.
9Carol
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 11:31
My mom (always one to share info about the family) told me that my niece got the vaccine, and mom said, “I guess you never know who she will end up marrying and where he’s been…” The assumption that my niece will only ever have sex with one person.
Meanwhile I heard (and sshhhh, I’m not supposed to know this so don’t tell!) that the neice got both nipples pierced for her 18th birthday and her mom took her to get it done. Now, I’m impressed that SIL is supportive enough and concerned that her daughter went to a reputable place and know how to take care of them, but also I can’t help but hear that thwop-thwop-thwop of the helicopter parent. But I must stay quiet since I technically don’t know anything. :-)
10impishm8
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 18:23
Nina,
Thank you for posting a very informative piece about HPV. Having been an oncology nurse for many years, I could tell stories to make you weep about young women dying of cervical cancer in the prime of their lives, leaving babies behind because of this horrible virus.
And for an even more controversial point of view (because you know I cannot resist), I think vaccination should be mandatory for ALL children, not just girls. Girls need it to help prevent getting cervial cancer from HPV, but boys need the vaccination to help prevent them from getting HPV and spreading it to their girlfriends.
We have the chance, over the course of a few generations, to irradicate a disease. Why would anyone be against that?
And sorry to the sympathetic men readers, but the truth of the matter is that if a man’s penis fell off if he got HPV, there would be mandatory vaccinations of all male children at birth. We still do not value women as much as men, in this or any society.
11nina aoki
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 19:51
Terry,
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement that I continue talking about this issue. Everyone has offered so much and has shared so much of themselves in either talking about their own story, or by offering some other piece of information that’s valuable to all of us.
The state of healthcare in this country is such a disgrace, and even tho that’s a subject all on its own, it ties in directly to the issue of HPV and why we need to work to make sure that HPV vaccinations become mandatory.
The big obstacle unfortunately are those who believe that education leads to promiscuity; it doesn’t. We need to educate all our children, both sons and daughters about safe sex, and about sexual health, and we need to be prepared for them to make mistakes, we all did didn’t we? So protecting our children by vaccinating them is the most responsible thing to do. As Impish suggests, vaccinating both sons and daughters may be the best way to eradicate these diseases.
What’s happened to Butterfly makes me so sad every single day. We have to finally say ‘enough’ to the things which destroy our lives and remember that every woman is a sister, and we have to work together.
Thanks hon,
xoxo,
nina
12nina aoki
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 20:00
Alexa,
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement because I know these issues aren’t sexy and people quite often tune things out which are unpleasant. You’re quite correct; if you’ve ever had sex, you’ve most likely been exposed to HPV, and for the majority of people they clear the virus on their own. At issue are two strains of HPV which can lead to abnormal cells on the cervix, which unchecked can lead to cervical cancer. Men can carry the virus and never show a symptom, but he’ll infect every woman he sleeps with. So we need to take this seriously.
I completely agree with you about eating healthy and how we live our lives. A big part of our problem is the food supply. Things like diabetes, obesity, digestive disorders, and a slew of other really weird medical issues which have cropped up in the past 20 years or so, ALL have to do with the food supply. I’d almost argue that our food supply isn’t safe at all! That’s a big part of the reason why we’ve gone organic and natural in my house. I feed my family as organic a diet as we can reasonably manage. I do all of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods now, and I prepare things in advance which are healthy. I got a lot of resistance at first from my son and husband, but they’ve come around and they actually say that they feel better now and have more energy.
We have to remember that our bodies are temples, and what we put into our bodies really matters and makes a difference. Sadly, our culture has become this fast food, instant gratification, me-me-me, right now, world. And we’ve become stupid and slow and unless we change, our later years are going to be pretty miserable.
My great hope is that one day the world we dream of will be a reality, but I fear that it won’t happen in my lifetime, but there’s always hope.
Thanks sweetie,
xoxo,
nina
13nina aoki
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 20:08
Hi Carol!
That’s quite a story, tho how typical to have that assumption that your niece will save her virginity until her wedding night! One has to wonder that if the husband to be is thought to have been around, who might he have been sleeping with? Those old attitudes are still there, and are such a part of our lives, but it’s still kind of endearing in a way. I suppose we all want to be thought of as ‘pure’ but that comes down to the girl doesn’t it? Discretion goes a long way!
Oh how funny that she got her nipples done! I had both of mine done a few years ago (hurt like hell) but I love them. And it’s great that her mom took her to a reputable place. I mean, she’s going to do it anyway, might as well make sure its done right. Ah yes, family secrets! We all have them don’t we? lmao!
xoxo,
nina
14nina aoki
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 20:22
Impish,
I’m sure those stories would be horrific. My dear sweet friend Butterfly Temptress is going thru treatment now for cervical cancer and it’s the same story.
I’m not in disagreement about vaccinating boys too. I think it would make sense considering that men carry the virus. I mean, how do they think we get it? We do have the chance, absolutely, to eradicate cervical cancer by vaccinating everyone.
But perhaps the most salient point you make is this; our lives, female life, has never been valued as much as a man’s. Until this fundamental attitude changes, we’ll always be at the mercy of the things which can destroy those lives. My husband works with a woman who adopted three little girls from China (back when you still could), and to think what kind of lives those girls would have had if she hadn’t adopted them is enough to make me cry. Someday, this will change. I know it. It has to.
Thanks so much,
xoxo,
nina
15Alexa
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 20:34
Whole Foods? Right on! Guess we need to charge a little more to support our organic habit…(giggle).
Seriously though, I’m freaked about HPV and there is no way to protect oneself except abstention!!!!! Yikes.
16nina aoki
wrote on 20 August 2007 at 21:28
Alexa,
Oh sure! I’ve been shopping at Whole Foods for a while now, and I’ve been growing my own veggies this year too! I’ve got some amazing tomato plants this year and I can’t wait until they start bearing fruit!
Well, the danger with HPV is that condoms don’t stop it. So you’re right, total abstention is the only way to avoid it. Like that’s going to happen!
Thanks hon!
xoxo,
nina