HPV Vaccinations Now Recommended for Boys
There has been a lot of discussion between doctors and parents about the HPV vaccine over the years to protect girls from different strains of the virus.
Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending all boys ages 11 and up to also have routine HPV vaccinations.
Since 2006, girls have been encouraged to get the three-dose vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. However, HPV has recently been linked with certain other types of cancers such as some head, neck and anal cancers that can affect boys as well.
Doctors say the vaccine is best when administered before a child becomes sexually active. Still, men 21 and older should still be vaccinated if they did not do so earlier, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Women who are 26 and older should also consider getting the shots.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all sexually active people will catch genital HPV at some point. It is noted to be the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.
Not every strain of HPV, or human papillomavirus, results in cancer. Sometimes, the infection does not cause any symptoms and disappears on its own. However, HPV 16 and 18 are responsible for thousands of cases of cancer in men and women every year.
The vaccines protect boys from genital warts and anal cancer, although the protection is not absolute. The AAP also says that vaccinating boys could indirectly shield women from getting the virus in the first place.
The possible side effects including weakness, fever, tingling, itching, and hives, have some parents reluctant to have their children injected. Despite these risks, researchers believe the benefits of the vaccination are important.
The three-shot regime costs about $360 altogether.
Cancer vaccine ?? This vaccine has been neither demonstrated or proven to prevent cervical cancer by any clinical trials in women. The answer to that question wont be know for decades. No one knows how this vaccination program will effect the future rate of cervical cancer. Meanwhile no one knows how long the vaccination is good for, or whether its feasible to do booster shots. The effect of fertility, or whether this vaccine could itself induce cancer are complete unknowns.
Other considerations: Safety, Ethics, Can Merck be Trusted, Liability Shield ……
Are the HPV vaccines safe ? There have been five million Gardasil vaccines given, and there are reported to be over one hundred unexplained deaths and at least three hundred unexplained sever, disabling illness in otherwise healthy young women who have taken the Gardasil vaccine. This seems like a small number until you consider that the rate of cervical cancer is 2.4 cases per 100,000 people. This means in a sample of five million, you would expect 120 cases if cervical cancer. Since cure the rate of cervical cancer is 75 %, then in the five million people, there are 30 people at risk of death from cervical cancer. The CDC says reported cases of adverse effects represent 1 to 10 percent of the of the total adverse affects of this vaccine. Why are they under reported ? People assume a government back vaccine program is completely safe and reporting is voluntary. So, if you look at the people at risk from dying from cervical cancer and compare that with the unexplained deaths and serious illness found in the group that was vaccinated, you get a ratio of 30 dead from cervical cancer to 4000 people killed or seriously affected after taking the vaccine ( assuming a 10 percent reporting rate ). Even if half the reported cases of serious illness and death were not caused by the vaccine, you still get a ratio of 30 cervical cancer deaths to 2000 people injured or killed. Or putting it another way, the vaccination program is a menace in that it is creating more problems than it has solved.
Why would you expose a child to life threatening risk to maybe prevent an illness that, on the average strikes at age 49 ? Which would be better, for forfeit life or health at age 15 or 50 ?
Ethical issues. Even if the vaccines are effective , if this program is allowed to continue aren’t we really sacrificing one group of people at an early age, so in the future, some fifty year old people can have their lives extended? Didn’t we get rid of human sacrifice a few hundred yeas ago? Would you want your life expended at the expense of a child’s life ?
Are the manufactures and the government trustworthy ? Pharmaceutical products cause great harm. An example: Merck, the manufacture of Gardasil killed at least thirty thousand people with heart attacks with is approved drug Vioxx over a five year period. Putting this into perspective, the rate of death from one drug was over twice that of the national death rate for cervical cancer. They developed and sought approval for a drug that they suspected would cause heart attack even though they would be liable for damages. As a vaccine maker, Merck is protected from liability. Should we trust Merck and the CDC that these unexplained deaths and injuries are coincidental, and put children at risk thirty five years ahead of need ?
Just say no to this unsafe, unproven, unnecessary, and unethical vaccine.