The New York Times, in an article on August 20, 2008, questioned drug companies’ push of the HPV vaccine. The article looks at the extensive marketing campaign and lobbying efforts taken on by the makers of the HPV vaccine. The article states that indeed, “in many states where cervical cancer legislation has been considered, there have been ties between drug makers and members of government.”
The cost of the vaccines and their accessibility to developing countries was also explored:
And why the sudden alarm in developed countries about cervical cancer, some experts ask. A major killer in the developing world, particularly Africa, where the vaccines are too expensive for use, cervical cancer is classified as very rare in the West because it is almost always preventable through regular Pap smears, which detect precancerous cells early enough for effective treatment. Indeed, because the vaccines prevent only 70 percent of cervical cancers, Pap smear screening must continue anyway.
One of the issues raised in the article is the unanswered question about how long the immunity will last.
Dr. Harper said that in the data from Merck’s clinical trials, which she helped conduct, the vaccine was no longer protective after just three years in some girls. “The immunity of Gardasil will not last — that is dangerous to assume,” she said.
The article brings to light many issues surrounding the vaccine. We at the Latina Institute think it is important for Latinas and their communities to have as much information as possible to make an informed decision about the HPV vaccine. Despite the U.S. being a developed country, the fact still remains that Latinas have the highest incident rate of cervical cancer amongst all groups of women and have the second highest mortality rate from cervical cancer. Knowing this fact, we as Latinas, owe it to ourselves and to our hermanas to take care of ourselves and each other, by getting yearly pap smears and fighting for those hermanas who may not have access to reproductive health care, and by getting as much information as possible about the HPV vaccine to make informed decisions. Cuídate. Ármate. Edúcate.
Contributed by Maria Elena Perez, Director of Community Mobilization