ARE YOU ‘ONE LESS’?
By Viviana Suavita

 

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., Oct. 11 - “One less! I can be, one less!” This has been the chant coming out of our television screens ever since Gardasil, the new vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, became available to women ages 9-26.

Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co, Inc. released the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) -approved vaccine in June 2006 with an advertising campaign called “One Less.” The advertisements feature women and young girls doing a multitude of everyday activities while saying they could be “one less” victim of cervical cancer.

The vaccine, according to its official website Gardasil.com, is the only vaccine that may help guard from four types of HPV or human papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18). More specifically, Gardasil is a vaccine that, according to its official web-site, helps protect against the following diseases caused by HPV:

• Cervical cancer (cancer of the lower end of  the uterus or womb)
• Abnormal and precancerous cervical lesions
• Abnormal and precancerous vaginal lesions
• Abnormal and precancerous vulvae lesions
• Genital warts

Gardasil helps prevent these diseases, but it will not treat them. It is also not, by any means, a way to avoid STD (sexually transmitted diseases) or to replace birth control.

According to womenwebmd.com, "The focus is cancer prevention, not STD prevention," said Stephanie Meyers, a women’s health care nurse at Hermann Hospital in Houston and educator at The University of Texas Health Science Center at the Houston School of Nursing. "That's how medical professionals are trying to push it."

The shot of Gardasil is given in three doses within a six-month period. The second dose is given two months after the first dose and the final dose is given six months after the patient’s initial first dose.

Ever since its introduction to the market, Gardasil has had supporters and opponents for a variety of reasons.

Amy Wheeler, a 19-year old sophomore at Marist, is about to receive her third shot. “I got my first dose this May when I got home from college. Needles don’t bother me normally and this was no exception.  It just felt like a pin prick, and was just a little sore afterward,” said Wheeler.

As with all vaccinations, there may be some side effects with Gardasil. According to Gardasil’s official web-site, the most commonly reported side effects include:

• Pain, swelling, itching and redness at the site of the injection
• Fever
• Swelling
• Dizziness

“I really thought there was no reason for me not to get the shot,” expressed Wheeler. “With three simple shots, I was helping myself to prevent myself from getting cancer.”

Not every woman sees Gardasil as safe due to its short time out in the market. Danielle Morrison, a 21-year old senior, said “I am not necessarily against the shot, I am just personally afraid of it. My father had a shot once that hadn’t been around long enough to see side effects and now he has memory loss problems.”

Other students feel as thought there simply isn’t enough information about Gardasil available and that it is being publicized too much, too soon. “When I visited my gynecologist, she had severely suggested I get it, almost to the point where ‘no’ wasn’t an answer,” said Lauren Shaughneroy, a 20-year old junior. “[However] I wanted more answers, answers that my gyno couldn’t even answer for me. ‘No known side effects’ made me uncomfortable.”

One of the main concerns about the vaccine is what is in it. Many people have the misconception that, like birth control pills, there is additional hormones, possibly complicating natural hormones and mood.

The information pamphlet available in the office of Dr. Teresita Silverio and Dr. Chang Yoon, two obstetricians and gynecologists based in Poughkeepsie, states the following, “The main ingredients are purified inactive proteins that come from HPV Types 6, 11, 16 and 18.  It also contains amorphous aluminum, hydroxyphosphate sulfate, sodium chloride, L-histidine, polysorbate 80, sodium borate and water for injection.”

“My gynecologist’s theory was that I was the prime target for the shot considering I had not been sexually active and that they wanted to protect girls before they did become sexually active,” said Shaughneroy. “I could see her point but I don’t feel safe getting the shot due to the lack of information on it, considering how long it has been around.”

Both Morrison and Shaughneroy state, if Gardisil continues to have good results, they would definitely consider getting it in a few years.

Wheeler supports this point by saying, “I don’t think that it should be mandated for girls to get it, but I do think that I would suggest that [in the future] my daughter get it at a young age,” said Wheeler.

At Marist’s own Health Services, although the shot is not being offered yet, it is being administered by the doctors who come in on a weekly basis. Lyndsay Deighton, student worker at Health Services, said, “So many students are calling to get it. It’s such a hassle to do so because the actual shot needs to be refrigerated until injected and not all insurance companies are covering it.”

Whether or not you have thought about getting the shot, one thing in which most girls seem to agree is, inquiring and keeping your mind open about something that could potentially save your life could never hurt.

“If it eventually is going to help you, perhaps even save your life, then it is worth it,” said Wheeler.

 

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