By Lisa Van de VenMore than 50 per cent of women might be infected with it before they turn 50. For some, there are no symptoms at all. For others, it means genital warts—often weeks after contact. Sometimes it will go away on its own, other times it will last indefinitely. Certain strains can lead to cervical cancer.
HPV, or Human Papillomavirus, may seem like the sexually transmitted disease du jour—television commercials regularly urge you to get informed on the virus, and chances are your family doctor has mentioned it already—but it’s also one with serious repercussions, especially for women.
The good news is there’s now something you can do to help prevent it: a vaccine called Gardasil, approved last year by Health Canada and designed to protect women against four strains of HPV, including HPV 16 and HPV 18, which cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer (the second most prevalent type of cancer for women ages 20 to 44).
“This is a significant advance for women’s health,” says Heather
Logan, Director of the Cancer Control Policy for the Canadian Cancer Society. “We commend Health Canada for moving quickly to approve the vaccine. It has the potential to substantially reduce both new cases and death from cervical cancer in Canada.”
Manufactured by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. and administered by your family doctor in three separate injections, the new vaccine is recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization for women aged nine to 26, and shouldn’t be used only by the sexually active.
While women who fall within that age group are eligible whether they’re having sex or not, family practitioner Dr. Renee Blumenfeld says the vaccine is ideal for young people who haven’t yet been active and wouldn’t have been exposed to HPV already. “This is really preventative medicine,” says the Thornhill, Ont., doctor.
The VaccineThe Gardasil vaccine isn’t covered by provincial health plans, which means there’s a price tag involved that teens may find restrictive. Dr. Blumenfeld recommends her teen patients talk to their parents. Asking for financial assistance to receive the vaccine can become a catalyst for young women to talk to their parents about sexual issues in general—without the tension that might come in having such a conversation after a sexually-transmitted disease has already been acquired.
Dr. Blumenfeld also points out that avoiding that conversation and ignoring the opportunity for the vaccine can have certain repercussions for teens exploring sex, even without penetration. HPV is transmitted through sexual contact of all kinds, she says, including skin-to-skin touching and oral sex. “Teens are having all types of sex,” Dr. Blumenfeld says. “You need to make sure you’re smart.”
Ethical Issues
While the Canadian Cancer Society, Health Canada and doctors around the world have put their support behind Gardasil, not everybody has backed the vaccine. Some parental and religious groups have opposed Gardasil based on ethical reasons, saying it supports pre-marital sex among young people. “Getting into the ethical debate, there’s the issue of are we giving the green light to our children?” Dr. Blumenfeld says.
She emphasizes, though, that in her own practice she sees abnormalities during pap tests at least twice a week, and welcomes anything that can safely help decrease these abnormalities.
“From a medical perspective, everyone’s excited,” she says.
What you need to know about Gardasil:
- Gardasil has been designed to protect against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Types 6 and 11 are low-risk forms that cause about 90 per cent of genital warts. Types 16 and 18 are high-risk and cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer.
- Gardasil does not offer protection against all types of cervical cancer. A regular pap smear is still necessary.
- The vaccine can cost between $400 and $500.
- It doesn’t work ???on all sexually transmitted diseases and shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for condoms.
- Side effects may include pain where the shot was given, mild fever, nausea, dizziness or muscle pain (with some cases of more serious pelvic pain or stiffness of the joints). Signs of an allergic reaction may include hives, difficulty breathing or swelling of the face
