Gardasil: From Farrah to Rick to Michelle

When one of the formative figures in 'ole Sal's youth passed last year, I almost posted something on this - almost.

You see, there is something to be said for letting at least a year pass until you find some tangent on the pre-mature death of a good person. Tragedy should be allowed to fade before you use it to make a point.

There is no question, Farrah Fawcett died too early, and she was as much as anyone is - a good person. There was a wider lessons for everyone, especially parents, in her death. It isn't an easy subject from a variety of angles, but I'll try to cover it as best I can because she left us a gift if we want to open it. She intentionally let the subject sit there if we wanted to take it up. I will.

Farrah fought a very difficult and very public battle with cancer. Not just any cancer though, but anal cancer.

A risk factor is anything that affects a person's chance of getting a disease. Although the exact cause of anal cancer is not known, most anal cancers seem to be linked to infection with HPV (human papilloma virus).
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About 8 out of 10 squamous cell anal cancers are caused by either HPV-16 or HPV-18 -- the same types of genital HPV that cause cervical cancer.

How you get HPV is well known.

Genital HPV is spread mainly by direct genital contact during vaginal, oral, or anal sex. It is not spread through blood or body fluids. HPV is passed from one person to another during skin-to-skin contact.

In a fashion, most cases of anal cancer are in effect the result of infection with an STD; for you old school types; VD.

This is a growing problem - one very much under the radar. I would recommend you talk to your dentist about what they have seen a dramatic increase in since the Clinton Administration. Imagine the challenge of telling women in their late 20s who don't smoke that they have oral cancer.

Now you see why it is difficult for some people to talk about rationally, and in the paragraphs that follow you will figure out the title of this post. Unlike many virus caused STDs, there is a way to protect yourself and those you love from the possibility of being infected with most types of HPV and as a result - help prevent cancer.

At this time there are 2 vaccines available to help prevent certain types of HPV and some of the cancers linked to those types: Gardasil® and Cervarix®. These vaccines prevent the 2 types of HPV (HPV-16 and HPV-18) that cause 70% of all cervical cancers.

Gardasil also protects against the 2 types of HPV (HPV-6 and HPV-11) that cause 90% of all genital warts. The other types of HPV will not be prevented by use of vaccines.

How effective? Dr. Henry I. Miller offers his experience,

In the extensive clinical studies (on more than 20,000 girls and women) that were performed prior to the FDA’s licensing of the vaccine, the vaccine was 100 percent effective, a virtually unprecedented result. How safe is the vaccine? No serious side effects were detected; the most common side effect is soreness, redness and swelling in the arm at the site of the injection.

In summary, Gardasil has one of the most favorable risk-benefit ratios of any pharmaceutical.

The HPV vaccine has made its way in to our political discussions, so let's bring it here. Early on in his Governorship, Rick Perry did the following;

... (in) 2007 when Republican Rick Perry became the first governor in the country to order young girls to get a vaccine against a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer.
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Perry, who long defended the vaccine mandate, reversed his position on the issue as he launched his GOP presidential bid, calling the order “a mistake” and saying he agrees with the Texas legislature’s decision to overturn it.

“The fact of the matter is that I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry,” Perry told reporters on the campaign trail in August.

Can we really fault him for this? Some of the most ignorant things have been said about this - mostly from my side of the political spectrum.

The vaccine would encourage promiscuity, according to many conservatives, who had long supported Perry’s views against abortion and same-sex marriage
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(Bachmann) “It’s very clear that crony capitalism could have likely been the cause” of the HPV vaccination program.

The Left has already taken that thread up ... but not the worst,

"I had a mother last night come up to me here in Tampa, Florida, after the debate," recalled Bachmann.

"She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. It can have very dangerous side effects. … This is the very real concern, and people have to draw their own conclusions."

Both charges, of course, are beyond stupid - and Bachmann just moved from the dog house to the rabbit hutch.

Gov. Perry has defended himself just fine to both - which he really shouldn't.

Let me tell you my path on this subject - one I went through a few years ago. The elder Wee Salamander was "of the age" to start the vaccine while she was in a DODS-affiliated school. You know DODS schools and their vaccines. Though I am generally a fan of vaccines, this caused me pause. Why? Simple, I knew what it is for. Who wants to think of their 10-yr old and .... THAT?!?

... but I also know this; I had to be an adult about this. I needed to think, not emote. Before I know it, she will be an adult woman and hopefully I will live long enough to be blessed through her with grandchildren. All good things in their own good time. Life is what it is and she will find her way through it - and frankly - I think it would be irresponsible to not protect her as much as I can, while I can.

It is the duty of a father to strip emotion away and work on fact. The fact is - and Perry talked to those dying of HPV caused cancers before he took the action he did - this is a preventable cancer for most sufferers. The method of catching the virus should not matter - we know how to prevent almost all infections.

If anything - Perry should be praised if not for his methods, then at least for his judgement.

... Perry was simply before his time: Across the country, 2007 was actually a turning point for legislation that requires, encourages or funds HPV vaccinations. Forty-two states considered HPV vaccination legislation in the 2006-2007 legislative session, and 20 passed laws, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. Among them? Bachmann’s own Minnesota.

This cancer kills. There should be no stigma to talk about it. Don't even think about throwing the "innocent" vs "sin" angle either. You can do that when you fix your own sin.

To those who still don't understand, let me try this.

Every year - and all year if you buy the stuff at Costco and put it in the pantry - we see a shower pink for Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraising. What if we had a vaccine that prevented almost all kinds of breast cancer? What type of person would not support that? Would you stop your daughter from getting that vaccine if the probability of best effect was when they got vaccinated in their pre-teen years? Really? Not just the personal costs - but the billions spent in out nation on the medical costs? Really?

A pox on everyone who is trying to use this as a political weapon. A pox.