Apart from the hysteria, can I just make one or two points please?
The vaccine is against the HP Virus. This virus is only transmitted through sexual contact. This is why the vaccination program for young females at age 12 is important, as most girls of this age would not be sexually active.
However, the HPV can also lead to penile and anal cancer, and has also been shown to be a precursor to some types of colon and even testicular cancers.
Because people may not know they have the virus, and because it can take some years to develop from HPV to Cervical Cancer, and in some cases may not lead to Cervical Cancer at all, it is critically important that sexually active females continue to undergo PAP smearing tests, even if they have been in receipt of the vaccination.
It is also worth noting that the risk of developing cervical cancer is doubled in those who smoke as carcinogens found in tobacco smoke are concentrated in the cervix increasing the rate of dysplasia (the formation of abnormal cells) by a factor of five.
So in summary, any vaccine against HPV is essentially "a good thing." But it is a good thing for all sexually active adults, not just females. Granted females who develop certain types of HPV have a 90% chance of developing cervical cancer, but males, particularly Gay males who engage in unprotected anal or oral sex with a HPV carrier are also at risk.
It should also be noted that not all people who have sex will develop HPV, and that not all people who contract HPV will go on to develop cancer.
What is important though, is that sexually active people get regular screenings and not assume that just because they have been vaccinated against HPV that they are somehow immune from developing Cervical cancer and can therefore not go for screeings regularly.
Two points should be remembered: HPV is an STD, and can be prevented by taking precautions (knowing your partners sexual health, wearing a condom, etc.)
And quitting smoking will reduce your chances of developing cervical cancer by 50%.
The FDA in the US, in consultation with the center for disease control (CDC) recommends that those who receive the vaccination continue to go for regular PAP smear tests. Merck currently produces Gardasil which was approved in July 2006, and is estimated to cost about $360 per course of treatment. GSK have developed Cervarix which is also very effective.
Some say that the risk to women of assuming that just because they have been vaccinated against HPV they no longer need to be screened can outweigh the benefits to the general population of universal vaccination.
My own view is that the jury is still out on the effectiveness or otherwise of the vaccine, but in any event it should be made available to all children at age 12, not just females, and it should not be seen as an alternative to PAP smear testing for sexually active females. Cervical cancer is easily cured if detected early: that is why effective screening is so important. Also, the vaccine is only effective if it is used on women (or men) before they become sexually active.
