Warts ‘n’ all?
The astonishing decision by the Department of Health to use Cervarix as the choice for HPV vaccine (Human Papilloma Virus – the virus that causes genital warts and a large proportion of cervical cancer cases) and not Gardasil hasn’t been getting enough airplay. If people really knew the opportunity that has been squandered by that choice I think there might be an outcry.
As I listen to the four hundredth reference today to Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross’s faux pas on Radio 2, I wish to God that such copious hours of airtime might have been used more constructively. Or, indeed, that the Daily Mail had taken up this cause instead to provoke 27,000 people to publicly vent their spleens about gross stupidity, short sightedness and poor management of ‘taxpayers money’ (that old chestnut). That’ll be the day that the Daily Mail takes up any cause that is sex positive or pro-young people – but I digress!!
You see there are many different strains of HPV and only a very few of them are associated as causative factors in cervical cancer. What are much more common are the strains that cause warts in the genital area. Now Cervarix only vaccinates against cancer-causing strains and promises to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by up to 90%. Hurrah! We cry – what a coup for public health!!
Well, not really. Because Gardasil does that too - AND offers cover against the most common viral strains causing the genital wart symptoms as well. In fact, up to75% of genital wart presentations could be prevented through this vaccine. What a fabulous lifting of workload for GP’s and sexual health clinics that would be!! What a fabulous opportunity to relieve countless people from the irritation, embarrassment, discomfort, inconvenience and even shame (for some) that comes with a diagnosis of genital warts and the related treatment.
Since about 80% of the sexually active population are probably carrying one of these viral strains (it’s more usual to have it than not – now that’s surprised you hasn’t it?), a national vaccination programme could virtually eliminate it within a generation or two.
But no! It’s being given to 12 year old girls in the hope that the vast majority will be ‘caught’ by the vaccine before they are ‘caught’ with their pants down - and there’s the rub. How do you get the parents of every 12 year old girl in the nation to accept they are being vaccinated against a sexually acquired infection? Simple answer? You don’t try very hard! You make un-detailed and scant reference in the marketing to sexual activity and you never, never, never show a WART and only show (pink) clinical diagrams of the internal organs.
On the NHS vaccinations web-site the copy clearly wasn’t checked before going live as, in the FAQ section, you will find the question
“Do you have to have to have sex with a lot people get HPV?” (sic)
If you don’t believe me, check it out on: http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/HPV/HPV_and_cervical_cancer
How very professional to have released that to the web-site with 3 glaring mistakes! I have an image of the copy-writer tentatively typing away with shaking hands as they realise this will be read by the parents of 12 year old girls who will be breaching that sacrosanct child / adult divide. Sweating and reluctant…”do I really have to have to put that question in?”
And since we’re only concerned with cervixes and no other part of the female reproductive organs, and since boys don’t have them, and since we’re not (stamping of feet) going to explore any further than absolutely necessary how this is linked to sex…we won’t be vaccinating the boys at all.
It’s of passing interest that other countries – the United States, Germany for example have opted for Gardasil rather than the cheaper Cervarix…
Also interesting is an article in the BMJ by ‘popular doctor’ Phil Hammond (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/337/oct23_1/a2186?ck=nck ) stating that those in the know – i.e. GPs and other enlightened people – who also possess the available cash ( i.e. not the broader mass of the populace) will opt to pay for Gardasil for their dear sprogs rather than Cervarix – creating a 2-tier system. So what’s new?
If you, like me, think the Government has missed a really rather large trick here, please let us know. Even better, write to the Daily Mail or flood the BBC’s in-box and let’s see if we can get another resignation to occur.
Filed under: Op Ed
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A friend of mine had the unfortunate experience of contacting herpes from an ex-boyfriend. It really devastated her for some time but she moved on with her life. Now she found a lovely person that she wants to have a long term relationship with. She has not told him that that she has herpes yet. I think she is afraid that if she does he may say goodbye. Talk about a terrible dilema, I wish I knew what to tell her. In my culture we dont actually ever talk about these things.
I agree with you 99% but wonder if you have really looked at the whole picture. DOn’t mean to be critical just food for thought.
Re: herpes.
it’s worth remembering that it’s more common to HAVE herpes virus than to not have it. (Just like wart virus too) There used to be fairly separate strains that caused the genital version and the ‘cold-sore’ version but, in these modern times of oral sex they got pretty mixed up and now quite a large majority of sexually active people will have come in conact with it.
Please try not to fret too much about telling partners about this - I do appreciate that it can feel like a hard thing to do and people do worry about telling partners. However, would you be as worried to talk about cold sores? It’s the same thing.
If we can break down some of the taboos about just talking about these things it’ll make it much easier to reduce the incidence. They’re all just germs that like soft, warm, moist places to live - bacteria and viruses just as colds, flu and chest infections are. Let’s stop gettin our knickers in a twist about STI’s - it just gets in the way of sorting them out.