It is disturbing, though not surprising, that a pharmaceutical company helped distort a public health discussion that should have been decided by scientists, physicians, and parents. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Gardasil for girls aged eleven through twenty-six, they did not go so far as to make the shots mandatory. Merck’s tactical lobbying campaign, aided by Women in Government, a group of state legislators that has received funding from both Merck and Glaxo, opened a Pandora’s box of doubts, concerns, and criticism regarding the vaccine.
I was curious to hear what D.A. Henderson, Professor Emeritus at John Hopkins School of Public Health, had to say about the call for mandatory vaccination. In 1967, Dr. Henderson led the World Health Organization’s global smallpox eradication program, and is a renowned expert on immunization. While he believes HPV is an “excellent” vaccine that all teenagers should get, he cautions against compulsory policies.
“There is a tendency to want to add important vaccines to a mandated list and the intention is laudatory. However, I do not believe that the public in most areas will accept this approach vis-à-vis HPV. Indeed, my concern is that there might be a backlash such that it might discredit a valuable preventive tool.”
The backlash has certainly materialized, though different groups are coming at the issue from different angles. The religious right is protesting vaccination against an STD, based on the assumption that it will lead to promiscuity (a position that is hard to defend, since the vaccine does not immunize against other STD’s or unwanted pregnancy). Some are worried about mass vaccinations without complete knowledge of side effects. Others are simply wary of a vaccine being used to generate corporate profits. Texas was one of the first states to mandate the vaccine, but this decision was questioned when it was revealed that the Governor’s former chief of staff is a lobbyist for Merck.
Regardless of how one feels about the vaccine, there is little debate over its utility and significance. Clinical trials show that Gardasil is highly effective in preventing infection with the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer and genital warts. HPV is also associated with vulvar, anal, and penile cancers, so the vaccine may be effective in preventing these rare but serious diseases.
