International Herald Tribune Editorial - A necessary vaccine

International Herald Tribune Editorial - A necessary vaccine
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune Editorial - A necessary vaccine
Monday, February 26, 2007


Debate over a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts has reached a high pitch. State legislatures are debating whether to mandate the vaccine or insist that its use be kept voluntary. The manufacturer stopped a vigorous lobbying campaign lest it provoke more opposition than support. And some health professionals who had been championing the vaccine flinched at making it mandatory, at least for now.

Even so, state legislatures should require that all young girls be given this vaccine, which protects against a virus that causes some 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the United States each year — and 3,700 cancer deaths.

Some 20 states have bills pending to require the vaccinations against the human papillomavirus for school attendance.

We have endorsed a mandate because the vaccine — Merck's Gardasil — looks highly effective against strains that cause 70 percent of all cervical cancer. With more than 2 million doses already distributed, the reported side effects have been mostly minor, such as dizziness or fainting.

Many parents who oppose a mandate are aghast at the thought of vaccinating such young girls against a sexually transmitted disease. Social conservatives object that the vaccine will encourage promiscuity. But it seems farfetched to believe that protection from cervical cancer will change any girl's behavior, and the vaccine works only if taken before a girl becomes infected.

The strongest arguments against moving ahead quickly tend to be practical and financial. States have typically used school mandates for vaccines that are already in wide use, and it is possible that unexpected side effects could emerge (though any mandate could be suspended if that happened). Health professionals also need to be certain that there are stable supplies, adequate insurance coverage, ample public money to vaccinate low-income children and physician support.

Merck deserves praise for developing Gardasil at a time when many companies shun the vaccine business as risky and unprofitable. But it is charging $360 for a three-dose regimen, a price that might come down if a competing vaccine enters the market soon, as expected. The vaccine could prevent thousands of new cases of cervical cancer annually and hundreds of thousands of cases of genital warts and precancerous growths.