HPV vaccine

cangel
Thu, 10 May 2007 13:25:16 +0000

DKE, HPV can be transmitted through the vagina at birth in some instances (not common). It does not cause cervical disease in this instance, but actually causes a condition called laryngeal polyposis.
By far the most common mode of transmission is through heterosexual intercourse, but the virus is so highly contagious that it can be transmitted through sexual contact that is less than full intercourse. Also, it is a “one night stand” virus, when you have sexual contact with a person for HPV, it is as if you have had sex with everyone else that person has come into contact with.
That’s what made us (MDs) reluctant about disseminating the STD nature of this virus, none of the other STDs, including AIDs is so terribly infectious. You could have had a one night stand 10 years before you met your wife and transmit the virus to her. I’m not sure that everyone would consider that “unfaithfulness”, it gets really socially complicated. Also, for many, many years there was no direct test for HPV. The diagnosis was based on Pap smear, and because we cytopaths were trying to protect as many women as possible against cancer, not diagnose STDs, sometimes women were referred for follow-up or treatment to prevent cancer that maybe didn’t have HPV - better safe than sorry. Medically we are pretty certain now that most common cervical cancer is due to this virus, but most is not 100%, and it has taken nearly 40 years to reach that conclusion.

This brings me to Zoosermom’s point. I respectfully disagree. If we required this vaccine of everyone, and gave it age say age 9, then privacy would be a non-issue. That is why HepB is required at birth, it gets you out of the sticky questions of exposure. If everyone gets it, then privacy is almost a non-issue. the problem, of course, is availability of vaccine and how long is it effective, I’m not sure that we know if the immunity will last long enough to vaccinate very young children. I don’t support making it mandatory until it can be given to pre-pubertal children safely.