[exDemMom]

Now, how many children would you find it acceptable to kill or maim to prevent a cancer the American Cancer Society has stated is one of these most treatable and has been in a steady decline of nearly 4% per year since 1992 -- long before the introduction of any vaccinations?

The decrease in incidence of cervical cancer results from better screening methods, and does not reflect any decrease in the number of HPV cases. According to this very informative website, between 250,000 and 1 million cases of cervical dysplasia are diagnosed in the US per year. Dysplasia is a pre-cancerous condition caused by HPV which, left untreated, has a high chance of developing into full-blown cancer.

We aren't just talking about preventing cancer deaths, we're talking about preventing dysplasias which can have serious health consequences. Treatment for dysplasia can be very effective for preventing cancer; unfortunately, it can also be quite effective for preventing future childbirth. Cervical dysplasia may be treated by LEEP, in which part of the cervix is removed. Sometimes, one LEEP procedure doesn't eliminate the virus, and the LEEP must be repeated. Each LEEP procedure damages the cervix, increasing the patient's risk of miscarriage should she get pregnant. Sometimes, the virus penetrates so deeply into the tissue that the only effective treatment is a hysterectomy, leaving the woman sterile. A gynecologist I worked with told me of having to do a hysterectomy on a 19 year old girl who had become infected at age 16, and remained infected after several LEEP treatments.

If just 50% of HPV infections can be prevented with the vaccine, that represents a HUGE savings in terms of treatment costs and overall health benefits.

[so_real]

Using your logic, Vioxx should never have been taken off the shelf. Using your logic, it's okay that a small segment of the population has a higher incidence of heart attack and stroke as long as another small segment of the population finds arthritis relief. Forgive me, but I find the thought of trading some girls long term health for the short term post-treatment reproductive capabilities of another small group of girls to be positively monstrous. I know you mean well and your heart is in the right place. The lenses through which you view the world show a more Utopian place than mine -- through yours Merck is not profit driven, government is not subject to corrupting influence, and all these parents are just reporting unfortunate and unrelated coincidence. We've already been down this road with Vioxx and it just is not true (click). People die and are debilitated even as drug studies report safety and efficacy and government organizations are derelict in their duties. What makes the Gardasil situation atrocious is visiting this debilitation on unsuspecting, innocent, and trusting children.