The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill yesterday that would require all girls entering middle school to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus.
The Virginia Senate had previously passed a bill requiring all girls entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated unless parents specified a medical or religious exemption. The House bill offers a third exemption from the vaccination, in which parents can review information about HPV and opt against vaccinating their children.
According to Susan Modesitt, associate professor of gynecological oncology at the University Hospital, the HPV vaccination is recommended for all women who are sexually active.
"HPV is an exceedingly common virus," Modesitt said. "There are over 120 types of the virus. Every woman who has ever been sexually active has been exposed to it."
James C. Turner, executive director for Student Health, said the HPV vaccination prevents up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and approximately 95 percent of venereal warts cases.
The bill is "an extremely effective way of assuring that there is widespread vaccination of girls against this disease," Turner said.
Jonathan Moreno, former University bioethics professor and current bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pointed out various concerns held by opponents of the vaccine.
"The opposition is ... it might encourage sexual activity, although very few [people] have that view," Moreno said. "Also, since [the vaccine] is not effective for all forms of the virus, it might create a false sense of confidence and people might take a risk they would not otherwise take."
Moreno also discussed some opponents' concern that the vaccine may cause autism.
"There is a big anti-vaccination movement, [that alleges that] the preservatives used in some vaccines may cause autism," he said.
Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccination in June 2006, Turner said approximately 450 University students have been vaccinated at Student Health.
"There's [been] a lot of interest in the vaccine ... but since it is expensive, some women are going home to their primary care provider for insurance reasons," he said.
According to a Student Health receptionist, Gardasil costs about $140 for each of the three doses of the vaccine necessary to guard against HPV.
Modesitt said the HPV vaccine would not only protect women against most cases of cervical cancer, but also against cervical dysplasia, a more common health issue among women.
"There are only 10,000 cases of cervical cancer per year in the U.S., but there are 250,000 cases of cervical dysplasia," Modesitt said. "These often require outpatient surgery to cure and prevent the development of [cervical] cancer"
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