Gardasil (Merck & Co.), also known as Gardisil or Silgard,[1][2] is a vaccine for use in the prevention of certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV),[3] specifically HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.[4][5] HPV types 16 and 18 cause an estimated 70% of cervical cancers,[6][7] and are responsible for most HPV-induced anal,[8] vulvar, vaginal,[9] and penile cancer cases. HPV types 6 and 11 cause an estimated 90% of genital warts cases.
The OFFICIAL Gardasil Web Site:
GARDASIL may not fully protect everyone, nor will it protect against diseases caused by other HPV types or against diseases not caused by HPV. GARDASIL does not prevent all types of cervical cancer, so it’s important for women to continue routine cervical cancer screenings. GARDASIL does not treat cancer or genital warts. GARDASIL is given as 3 injections over 6 months.
When Wikipedia AND the official web site for the drug both clearly state that it doesn't prevent all strains of the HPV, I think it's pretty clear that it is "reported". IN fact, if you search on the question "Does Gardasil prevent all strains of HPV", you will get 38000 results, all telling you the answer is no.
I've never seen any pro-Gardasil argument that suggested otherwise.
Meanwhile, most of the HPV strains do not cause cancer, so it wouldn't matter that they would "fill the gap". Nor, since the different strains do not compete with each other, is there a "gap" to be filled when one strain is prevented.
for a "cure" to a disease that's wholly preventable.
That is the uninformed bias that leads to a lot of false claims against Gardasil -- the idea that women who get HPV do so because they engage in improper sexual activity, and they could easily prevent it simply by being moral.
Fact is, HPV is ubiquitous in the population. Even if you adhere to a strict monogamous post-marriage sex regime, you could get HPV from your spouse. You could also get it from rape. And like it or not, a lot of people do have more than one sex partner in their lives.
I completely agree that a woman should evaluate her own risk/reward. A woman who knows her husband is clean and doesn't expect to have an affair could well decide the risk is too great.
But a lot of women don't want to chance getting HPV, and they do seem to want to have sex, and not necessarily with men who they can first take to the doctor to have them checked for HPV. And since we aren't talking about forcing women to get the vaccine, the argument seems to be that you don't want the CDC to approve the drug since women should just refrain from sex, or something like that.
Frankly, I'm not sure exactly what your argument was.
The answer is to make it optional for adults and not force this experimental drug into children because politicians and Merck want to make billions.