HPV, otherwise known as Human Papillomavirus, has been known to be one of the leading causes of cervical cancer in women. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that has been correlated with socioeconomic levels. According to the article Impact of HPV vaccination and cervical screening on cervical cancer elimination: a comparative modelling analysis in 78 low-income and lower-middle-income countries, Marc Brisson et. al. stated that “cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs)” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673620300684). One of the reasons we see these results is because the vaccination against HPV, Gardasil, is not accessible to individuals in these lower income countries. Furthermore, they discussed in their research that HPV can easily be eliminated as a global health problem, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Brisson et. al., also stated that “to achieve cervical cancer elimination in all 78 LMICs, our models predict that scale-up of both girls-only HPV vaccination and twice-lifetime screening is necessary, with 90% HPV vaccination coverage, 90% screening uptake, and long-term protection against HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58” (Marc Brisson et. al., 2020).
According to the CDC, HPV is the most commonly sexually transmitted disease and they have written that “most infections are asymptomatic and become undetectable, but some can be persistent and can progress to cancer in both women and men later in life” (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv-vaccine.html). The CDC recommends that boys and girls at the age of eleven or twelve should receive the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Older adults are also recommended to receive the vaccination if they have not received it in the past. The CDC comments about the Gardasil vaccination and gives helpful information about the vaccine. They have stated that “Gardasil 9 (human papillomavirus 9-valent vaccine, recombinant; 9vHPV)…was studied in clinical trials with more than 15,000 participants before it was licensed and continues to be monitored” (CDC, 2019). As I have learned in my Global Health Anthropology class, Gardasil 9 can protect against HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.
As a 22 year old female, I actually have not received the Gardasil vaccination. My sister unfortunately had a very odd reaction to the vaccine when she received it at the age of 16. Because of this, I decided against receiving the vaccine. After having read many articles about HPV and Gardasil for my microbiology class, I have decided to receive the vaccine this summer. Vaccines can sometimes be scary, but it is important to realize that side effects are rare and unlikely to occur. Individuals should always get their vaccines unless there is a medical concern.
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