Merck has joined forces with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and our
Department of Public Health to launch a humanitarian effort aimed at ridding the world of cervical cancer by preventing strains of the
HPV (human papillomavirus) that has been found in 100% of CV. They have aggressively enlisted the Public School System to help corral high school girls for the three stage vaccination.
The CNMI's rate of cervical cancer is
astonishing, almost four times that of the U.S.. The HPV vaccine has the potential to eradicate cervical cancer by preventing the strain of HPV that causes it. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases found gender-wide. In boys, it is like the stealth virus, asymptomatic and not nearly as deadly as it is for girls. Sexual activity increases the risk of HPV, and thus for girls, cervical cancer.
Gardasil, the
FDA approved vaccine made and marketed by Merck, has not yet been approved for boys. The vaccine is not cheap, but argumentatively, neither is cervical cancer.
At the risk of sounding unappreciative for this generous gift, I want to explain myself. My friends think this is unnecessary, but I am moved by many recent happenings. My comments on
Jeff's blog have taken a detour from my maternal gut instincts to whether or not I am grateful for this federal endowment. It's been suggested that I do my research before "killing Frankenstein", and so I have.
As Jeff puts it, "pharmaceuticals are big business". I agree, and this is one of the reasons that Merck has been under scrutiny for it's overly aggressive campaign to
make Gardasil mandatory in public schools. The question the nation seems to be asking is, "have we lost focus from the prevention of cervical cancer to fattening the pockets of drug makers?" The vaccine is not mandatory in the CNMI, so
my question is, "why are we going to vaccinate hundreds of girls at school, during instructional time, when it is a
voluntary shot?" Wouldn't it be better to invite parents to the clinic or a public forum so that they can ask their questions freely? Or are we just trying to get as much of this free stuff used as fast as possible? Maybe free is the wrong word since the CDC, A.K.A. the feds, are buying it in bulk from Merck, on our behalf. I'm not sure how many federal dollars are going into the media campaign for this vaccine, but wouldn't a public meeting be more appropriate in our culture? Many man-amko will not be able to understand the catchy commercials, and given the power of TV persuasion, few people will feel compelled to question them. I think this is too important an issue, given our statistics, not to reach out to the community.
I am not questioning the integrity of the DPH. There are many people who work there that I admire for their determination to bring quality health care to the CNMI. I am not even questioning the intentions of the CDC. I am certain that the Cancer Society supports this, and so they should. I am a little bit uncomfortable knowing that the feds and Merck are in bed with this one.
$50 million bucks is a lot of money for one year and it makes me wonder about the aggressiveness of the drive. This is my right, no? Nobody's perfect, but no one, including
Merck, has a spotless record when it comes to the medications they promote. Many states are tinkering with the idea of mandating this vaccine in schools for girls as young as 9 years old. I'll let you chew on that one.
All of our public schools have Wellness Policies that are directly aligned with National Wellness standards and they do address preventative measures in health. In fact, we welcome the participation and partnership of Public Health. However, is it really the school's responsibility at this time, to aide in mass vaccinations? What about possible mandatory vaccinations? (Because, that's what will be coming down the line if we are not vigilant)
All my children have been immunized, and I do not wish to expose any of them to the horrors of cancer, especially if I can help prevent it. If I felt 100% certain that this was safe, I'm sure we'd be the first family in line. However, it is my maternal prerogative to shelter my girls no matter how hyper-sensitive it looks to others. I know it's "Saipanese" to ask for studies, but I demand them for my children.
Show me that it is safe and I will put my daughters in your trusted hands.
To be fair, most of the reported side effects are non life threatening and in comparison to cervical cancer, they are almost harmless. Even girls who have no sexual history are susceptible to HPV, because as
Jane puts it, they can be victims of sexual crimes. The benefits today, seem to outweigh the risks. If you are willing to do the research, not rely on my seemingly biased opinions, and you become convinced, then please, get your daughter(s) inoculated. It's a golden opportunity to avail of preventative medicine that would otherwise cost the average person an arm and a leg (and a cervix).
I will continue to exert my right as an American and a mother, to reserve judgment/a decision. Here are a list of
objections and some
benefits that I've found useful. Though my tone seems otherwise, I am neither campaigning for or against the vaccine. I am asserting my right and yours, to make informed decisions. Go to the DPH with your daughter before signing the consent form, ask lots of questions, even the ones you feel silly asking, and don't leave until you are satisfied. Call your doctor and get his/her opinion. The DPH has made it clear that they are eager to hear the public's concerns. Read about it everywhere, even on the government sites. No one should die of cervical cancer if they don't have to, especially not our daughters. But, please, don't pull my toenails out with your tweezers just because I'm skeptical. Not until you have spent years listening to my Sommer's laugh, seen Peyton's crayon-drawn family portraits and heard Hope talk about the dreams she has for her life. Not until you've agonized over every decision you've ever made when it came to their futures.
Ever done a Google image search for HPV? I have. What you see will astonish you if you've got the stomach to get past more than one page. Why on earth would I do such a thing? Because it's been on my mind for about a year. In 2007 I wrote a post about the then new HPV Vaccine that was going to be administered to high school girls island-wide. It was an ambitious campaign like nothing we'd ever seen before and it was spearheaded by the Department of Public Health, with the full support of the community, youth groups and the Public School System.
I had an unusual reaction to all of it, quite opposite of what you'd expect from an educator. I responded with a mother's heart, worrying about the short/long term side effects of the drug, the infringement on parental rights, the lack of longitudinal studies surrounding the drug and the enriching of pharmaceutical companies. It all sounded like a conspiracy, this mass vaccination. I got defensive. The real truth was that I felt a sense of misplaced arrogance towards anyone who dared to challenge my parenting. I truly believed that if I taught my daughters how to be sexually responsible women they would not need to worry about contracting STDs. STDs were for "loose" girls, girls who weren't raised in Christian homes, girls who weren't taught the virtue of virginity, the sanctity of marriage or a sense of self-respect. My girls would grow up to be monogamous and so would their husbands..jpg)
On the way to work today I listened to guests from the Centers for Disease Control and thought about some of the fears I had regarding Gardasil and the HPV campaign. I tried to be objective about my own misconceptions and balance them out with the legitimate fears I had. Then today during work, the same guests came to share the news that the CNMI's campaign was so successful the CDC had to visit to see what we'd done. It was shared with us that among the at-risk population (young girls), the CNMI has achieved an 80% success rate for prevention. Those aren't just good statistics, they're downright amazing. Does it mean that our young girls will grow up to be (cervical) cancer free? If it does, then we've extended the years that hundreds of families could spend together. If it does, then we've given future mothers more time to raise their children and play with their grandchildren. If it does, then we've saved our medical institutions millions of dollars in health care/disease intervention and treatment. It means that old women will live longer lives and die natural deaths.
I'm still admittedly skeptical. The findings aren't conclusive, we don't have enough years of data and what the critics out there have to say is pretty scary. I'm weighing the risk between making sure my daughters never get cervical cancer or possibly becoming infertile. I always thought I'd be able to protect my children, and for the most part I can just by talking with them and trusting that they will make good choices. I realize however, that we can't control everything that happens in our lives and the dangers of HPV do not just come from unprotected, promiscuous sex. Humans can have a more devastating effect than any virus on earth. There are people out there who have the ability to convince others that the risk of getting cervical cancer from HPV is lower than that of getting killed in a car wreck. There are people who will sacrifice the lives of others to suit their own selfish desires. Will my girls gaze lovingly into someone's eyes one day and gamble their lives away for a few empty promises? Lastly, am I willing to take that chance?
It's not easy to make these decisions, to put your children in the hands of scientists, no matter how well intentioned they are. Although I've changed my mind about the benefits of the vaccine, I feel the same anxiety I did two years ago. I feel anxiety about every decision I make that affects the welfare of my children because they are irreplaceable.
