Killing Off Cancer

"I’m wondering – should I get the vaccine?"

By Alana Germany
March 29, 2007

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There's been a lot of hype about the new HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer and is being recommended for girls ages 9 to twenty-six. Many states around the country are considering mandating it, including Texas and California. Meanwhile young women and their parents are trying to sort through all the information to decide whether or not they should get the vaccine. Youth Radio's Alana Germany investigated the issue.

The past few weeks, every time I take a seat to relax and watch a little TV, I see that new Gardasil commercial: One Less.

I learned about cervical cancer in health class, but it never seemed like that big of a deal. Now I see these commercials, and the statistics about how many people will be affected by HPV and how it can lead to cervical cancer and...well...it’s all shocking.

I’m wondering – should I get the vaccine?

When I want to find out anything, my first instinct is to go to the net. You can find anything on google right?

ALANA (on tape)
Going online...typing...I’m going to Planned Parenthood to see what I can find. "It’s best for the vaccine to be administered before the onset of sexual activity, but young women who are sexually active should still be vaccinated.”

Okay...typing. So here I am on TeenWire - this is a sister site for Planned Parenthood. It says that, “The vaccine should be given to girls and boys before sexual activity with partners begins.”

ALANA
Okay, so that’s confusing and that’s from the source a lot of my friends turn to with questions about sex and sexually transmitted diseases.

Even though I might check the internet, a lot of girls, like 18-year old Sarah Beth McKay in Atlanta, are going to their parents. Sarah’s mom has breast cancer.

SARAH (on tape)
Sarah: Do you think I should get the vaccine?
Mom: If it keeps you from getting a cancer, it’s worth thinking about because cancer is a road nobody wants to travel. My question back to you is that - do you think when you’re talking to your buddies at school that getting this vaccination offers you some freedom to have sex, where you might be a little more reluctant thinking about STD’s?

ALANA
Here’s a controversy. A lot of parents are worried that administering the vaccine promotes sexual promiscuity, since HPV, the virus that can cause cancer, is a sexually transmitted disease.

MOM (on tape)
It’s tough to think that my daughter would be interested in or prepared for frequent sexual partners.

Sarah: Well I’m going to be married one day & what happens if my husband is carrying the HPV virus?
Mom: But I don’t think it’s (the vaccine) a bad idea, but you shouldn’t use the vaccination as a freedom to do whatever you want.

ALANA
It’s up for debate whether or not getting the vaccine affects girls’ decision to have sex.

But Gina Mootrey, a medical officer from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, says the CDC is recommending that girls get the vaccine as soon as possible, starting as young as nine.

GINA MOOTREY (on tape)
The effect of this vaccine will have both individual and population effects. The current information we have is that it’s been nearly 100 percent effective in preventing precursers to cancer and the development of cervical cancer.

CURRY ANDREWS (on tape)
I got the HPV vaccine three weeks ago.

ALANA
That’s 18-year-old Curry Andrews.

CURRY (on tape)
I’ll tell you how the shot was - when they put it in your arm, it burns. Different from other shots - hurts more. But then you weigh that against the side effects of cancer, and I think it’s bearable.

ALANA
Curry is more afraid of cancer than the HPV vaccine which is why she got vaccinated right away.

Eighteen-year-old Taylor Flanagan in Austin, Texas, is more skeptical. She has never been vaccinated, even as a baby.

TAYLOR FLANAGAN (on tape)
And so I’ve always been raised in a household that talked very openly about problems that can arise from very well accepted medical practices.

ALANA
Taylor is worried about side effects that might show up later. I worry about the same things...especially as states like Texas and my state - California - consider mandating the vaccine.

Personally, this isn’t a decision I want to make right away. I’m 17, and the vaccine is recommended for girls up to age 26. And since I’m not sexually active right now, I’m not at risk for HPV.

Plus, the vaccine is still in the early stages of actually being used by the public. Who knows what negative side effects we might see ten or twenty years from now? I’ll feel a lot more comfortable getting the vaccine after I have more information about its effectiveness over time.

- This story was produced with help from Sarah Beth McKay, Emma Din and Rebecca Gittelson in Atlanta, and the students from Youth Spin in Austin, Texas.