Texas Requires Cancer Vaccine for Girls

[Madspirit]

Texas Requires Cancer Vaccine for Girls


Feb 2, 4:20 PM (ET)

By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Bypassing the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick
Perry signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require
that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus
that causes cervical cancer.

By issuing an executive order, Perry apparently sidesteps opposition
in the Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups who
fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere
with the way parents raise their children.

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade - meaning,
generally, girls ages 11 and 12 - will have to get Gardasil, Merck &
Co. (MRK)'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus,
or HPV.

Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell
research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his
political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no
different from the one that protects children against polio.

"The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to
effectively target and prevent cervical cancer," Perry said in
announcing the order.

"If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large
amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention
the health and well-being of these individuals to have those vaccines
available," he said.

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country
mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its
lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in
Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators
around the country.

Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the
drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former
chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas
Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for
Women in Government.

Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee
during his re-election campaign.

Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit
objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Even
with such provisions, however, conservative groups say such
requirements interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions
for their children.

The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government
advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and
12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if
Gardasil - at $360 for the three-shot regimen - were made mandatory
across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine,
which has been shown to have no serious side effects.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is
spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in
Government. Susan Crosby, the group's president, also declined to
specify how much the drug company gave.

A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in
Government's business council, and many of the bills around the
country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.

[Madspirit]

1. sorry no link

A friend just sent this to me. Sorry I don't have a link. Ms. Peterson is AP.
Madspirit

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. I don't care why he did it,

I don't care if he did it because Merck is providing him with the services of Jeff Ganon, it is the right thing to do,

[Madspirit]

3. Yup...

...and can you believe it...the fundies are having a fit. I am a Texan and you should hear the asshats holler. Their agenda is more important than their children's lives.
Madspirit

[Scooter24]

4. Then why stop there?

There are dozens of equally important vaccines available, like Meningitis, Hepititis, Flu, etc., so why don't we mandate those as well?

At least there is an opt-out clause. Hey, if it works for military recruiting, it should work here too.

[Madspirit]

5. You're a man right

Cervical cancer is a killer. This is a good thing.
Madspirit

[bullimiami]

6. Its not a damned cancer vaccine. they insist on calling it that because they

are afraid of the religious freaks in this country.

everyone should be vaccinated for it, not just girls, it just makes good public health sense.

it is infuriating that we live in a society with such forced stupidity and pandering to the most foolish and superstitious elements.

[onecent]

7. Over my dead body would my daughters EVER have gotten

this vaccine.....You are CRAZY if you just take anything and everything the government passes out.

This vaccine has not been tested near enough for my 13 year old grandaughters (let alone my own,) and I guarantee you that none of my 5 grandaughters will have it. (I know the mothers too well).

This IS CRAZY.

Merck is BIG BUSINESS...and big business need to get out of our female vaginas!!!!!!!!!

[Madspirit]

8. I would take it and...

So would my children, if I had any. The MAJORITY of cases of cervical cancer are associated with this virus and cervical cancer has a high death rate. I agree with the person above who talked about primitive superstitions.
Do you remember polio? I do.
Madspirit

[Mojorabbit]

11. Not mine

if I had any. I would want to wait till the bugs are worked out, see what side effects may develop. If it can be given till age twenty six, then I'd let my daughter make that decision when she was of age ..if I had a daughter.

[Madspirit]

12. Hey Mojorabbit

We may not totally agree but we both have imaginary children. : >
Madspirit

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. let me know when there is a herbal remedy for cervical cancer

do you make your own condoms too?

[sandnsea]

10. Have to get it before 26

I don't know why, but older women can't get the vaccine. My daughter just got her first shot. I will be so relieved when she's done and we can at least cross that one cancer off our list of worries. I'd thank you to stay out of her vagina so she doesn't get cancer and die.

[2bfree]

13. How will the poor be able to afford it?

This is an expensive vaccine, not everyone has insurance.

[FVZA_Colonel]

14. If this one section of a recent Seattle Times article is correct,

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003554596_vaccine03.html

Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women 19 to 21.

Then it seems that in some instances, at least, the state will be paying for the innoculations for those who cannot otherwise afford them.

[mhatrw]

15. The Facts On GARDASIL

The Facts About GARDASIL

1) GARDASIL is a vaccine for 4 strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), two strains that are strongly associated (and probably cause) genital warts and two strains that are typically associated (and may cause) cervical cancer. About 90% of people with genital warts show exposure to one of the two HPV strains strongly suspected to cause genital warts. About 70% of women with cervical cancer show exposure to one of the other two HPV strains that the vaccine is designed to confer resistance to.

2) HPV is a sexually communicable (not an infectious) virus. When you consider all strains of HPV, over 70% of sexually active males and females have been exposed. A condom helps a lot (70% less likely to get it), but has not been shown to stop transmission in all cases (only one study of 82 college girls who self-reported about condom use has been done). For the vast majority of women, exposure to HPV strains (even the four “bad ones” protected for in GARDASIL) results in no known health complications of any kind.

3) Cervical cancer is not a deadly nor prevalent cancer in the US or any other first world nation. Cervical cancer rates have declined sharply over the last 30 years and are still declining. Cervical cancer accounts for less than 1% of of all female cancer cases and deaths in the US. Cervical cancer is typically very treatable and the prognosis for a healthy outcome is good. The typical exceptions to this case are old women, women who are already unhealthy and women who don’t get pap smears until after the cancer has existed for many years.

4) Merck’s clinical studies for GARDASIL were problematic in several ways. Only 20,541 women were used (half got the “placebo”) and their health was followed up for only four years at maximum and typically 1-3 years only. More critically, only 1,121 of these subjects were less than 16. The younger subjects were only followed up for a maximum of 18 months. Furthermore, less than 10% of these subjects received true placebo injections. The others were given injections containing an aluminum salt adjuvant (vaccine enhancer) that is also a component of GARDASIL. This is scientifically preposterous, especially when you consider that similar alum adjuvants are suspected to be responsible for Gulf War disease and other possible vaccination related complications.

5) Both the “placebo” groups and the vaccination groups reported a myriad of short term and medium term health problems over the course of their evaluations. The majority of both groups reported minor health complications near the injection site or near the time of the injection. Among the vaccination group, reports of such complications were slightly higher. The small sample that was given a real placebo reported far fewer complications — as in less than half. Furthermore, most if not all longer term complications were written off as not being potentially vaccine caused for all subjects.

6) Because the pool of test subjects was so small and the rates of cervical cancer are so low, NOT A SINGLE CONTROL SUBJECT ACTUALLY CONTRACTED CERVICAL CANCER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM — MUCH LESS DIED OF IT. Instead, this vaccine’s supposed efficacy is based on the fact that the vaccinated group ended up with far fewer cases (5 vs. about 200) of genital warts and “precancerous lesions” (dysplasias) than the alum injected “control” subjects.

7) Because the tests included just four years of follow up at most, the long term effects and efficacy of this vaccine are completely unknown for anyone. All but the shortest term effects are completely unknown for little girls. Considering the tiny size of youngster study, the data about the shortest terms side effects for girls are also dubious.

8) GARDASIL is the most expensive vaccine ever marketed. It requires three vaccinations at $120 a pop for a total price tag of $360. It is expected to be Merck’s biggest cash cow of this and the next decade.

These are simply the facts of the situation as presented by Merck and the FDA.