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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Human Papilloma Virus: Fear or Fact? Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccine

By Caleb Joseph

In 2006, a HPV vaccine was developed for the treatment of the human papilloma virus. The development has been extremely important in being able to keep young women and girls safe from this disease. The HPV virus affects a large amount of individuals in the United Sates; about 50 percent. And as for women, which the vaccine was developed for, it is estimated that around 80 percent of females will have been exposed to the HPV Virus by the age of 50. The more we understand about this disease and how to prevent it, the more that can be done to lower the amount of people who get it.

The vaccine for HPV is called Gardasil, and is marketed by Merck. It has been found to be nearly one hundred percent effective in preventing the four strains of HPV that, when put together, account for seventy percent of the cases of cervical cancer and ninety percent of the cases of genital warts. It is administered in three doses over a six-month period. The vaccine is most effective if it is given before females become sexually active. It is currently recommended that girls be vaccinated at about the ages of eleven or twelve. The vaccine can be safely administered to girls as young as nine, and women as old as twenty-six years of age. Investigations are currently being done to find out if the vaccine is safe and effective to administer to boys and young men.

There's certainly no question that cervical cancer disease 'can'' and 'does' have serious (sometimes fatal) outcomes. However equally so, 'any''medical procedure, artificial drug, pharmaceutical product or vaccine by its very nature also carries with it varying degrees of risk - both temporary and permanent. This includes the HPV vaccines. The unfortunate truth is that the bulk of media campaigning and information disseminated to the public has avoided, disguised or cleverly side-stepped pointing out the facts and health risks associated with the actual vaccines, which to date have included (but are not limited to): loss of consciousness, paralysis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, hospitalisation, permanent disability and death.

There are many different strains of the Human Papilloma Virus and the HPV vaccine does not protect individuals against all of them. However, it can help reduce the risk that a female has of contracting the disease. It is important to not that if you are sexually active, the use of a condom will not completely protect you against the virus.

The better the immune system, the faster the healing process. As soon as you are diagonalized with the HPV symptoms start building on your immune system for precise results. Do not forget that this also depends on the overall health of your body.

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