Health Buzz: HPV Vaccine’s Cost-Effectiveness and Other Health News
Reader Comments
HPV Vaccines
Concerning the HPV vaccines - why is everyone so afraid to say it? The effectiveness of this vaccine is based largely on whether or not a girl or woman has been exposed to HPV by sexual contact, regardless of her age. Girls and women who are virgins have the most to gain by this vaccine, though it does have some effectiveness even for those who may have been exposed to some strains of HPV. This was all based on statistics, of course, the younger a girl or woman, the more likely she is to be a virgin. But basing the cost effectiveness on AGE alone, with nary a mention of virginity, seems to me to be skirting the subject which matters most in this policy debate. A twelve year old virgin should benefit as much from the vaccination as a twenty-seven year old virgin.
Why is this the case? Why is it okay for TV commercials to drone on and on about erectile dysfunction and the rather alarming side effects of Viagra (three hours? need I say more?) But any mention of virginity - is it because it is politically incorrect to even broach the topic?
