KILLING OFF CANCER?
What's the story?
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 9-26. Many states around the country are considering mandating it, including Texas and California. Skeptics of the vaccine are speaking up from different sides of the political spectrum. Some claim the vaccine will encourage early sexual activity. Others raise questions about how the vaccine’s manufacturer might be profiting from its mandatory use. 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 is one of those young women:
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.
Quick Facts about HPV and cervical cancer:
• Cervical cancer is a slow-growing cancer affecting the organ between the vagina and the uterus.
• There are two strains of HPV that have been proven to cause cervical cancer.
• Both can be found with regular Pap tests that scrape cells from the cervix.
• Estimated of cervical cancer in the United States in 2007:
New cases - 11,150
Deaths - 3,670
Source: The National Cancer Institute
Read this Script!
Listen to this Commentary!
Teach this News Break!
Killing Off Cancer
"I’m wondering, should I get the vaccine?"
By Alana Germany
March 29, 2007
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 precursors 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.
Use the script and audio of the commentary in this Newsbreak to inspire students to explore these skills and themes:
Language Arts:
• Explore impact of “point of view” in narratives and media.
• Identify effective questions to expand understanding through research.
• Experiment with the benefits and difficulties of collaborative work.
• Evaluate credible sources in internet research.
• Consider the positive and negative relationships between business, media, and public health.
Health & Science:
• Explore science of viruses and cancer through lens of personal experience.
• Consider issues of medical ethics.
• Examine disparities in US health care.
Social Science:
• Examine the impact of economics in government policy.
For this month's feature, you can access to these strategies and resources:
1. Ideas and Suggestions for lesson plans
2. Toolbox handouts
3. Synthesized Standards
4. Reporter Bios
5. Resources and further research
6. Youth Radio’s media production techniques
1. IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR LESSON PLANS:
LANGUAGE ARTS:
Diverse perspectives: Alana draws on a range of sources in this story to develop her understanding of the HPV vaccine. Have students “map” the perspectives offered in the piece - an exercise that will sharpen their ability to identify and then question various “points of view.” List these characters on the board or a hand-out: Alana, the Teen Wire website, Sarah’s mom, the Centers for Disease Control, Curry, and Taylor. Pose these questions: What is each character’s position with respect to the HPV vaccine? On the basis of what evidence do you know each character’s position? What perspectives aren’t represented? What more do you want to know?
New voices: Building on the previous exercise, have students identify one source they’d like to hear from to learn more about the HPV vaccine (e.g., the agency that produced the HPV vaccine “One Less” PSA campaign, a conservative group concerned about teen sexual activity, a doctor who administers the vaccine, a medical insurance company about whether the vaccine is covered). Working in small groups, have students do research to find a new source, develop a series of questions related to the story, and interview that source. See Youth Radio’s Media Production Techiques: Tips from the Newsroom in this News Break for help preparing students to conduct interviews. Please send your findings to Youth Radio, via tyr@youthradio.org
Collaborative storytelling: The “back announce” to Alana Germany’s piece says, “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.” Three different youth media organizations across the country collaborated in producing this story. It’s an interesting model for students to consider as they undertake projects where individual students contribute to a single narrative. One of the biggest challenges with this kind of work is integrating young people’s various “elements” into a coherent story. Have students identify a topic in their community that’s kicking up controversy. Working in teams, have them come up with a task list (interviews and research) and then distribute the responsibilities across the group. Once they’ve completed their “field work,” have them come back and present to the class in a collaborative demonstration of what they learned.
*MEDIA LITERACY:
Media Search: In the opening lines of her story, Alana Germany says, “You can find anything on Google, right?” What search terms would students use to find out about the HPV vaccine? Working with the entire class, brainstorm a list of possible terms, making sure to include words that will reveal various sides of the vaccine’s controversy (e.g., “HPV and sexual activity”). If you’ve got access to computers in your classroom or library, break into small groups and assign different search term clusters to each team. Come back to the full group and compare what students found in the first three listings under each Google search they performed. So, what can you find on Google? Use this exercise to explore “search engine optimization,” the process that determines which sites show up at the top of a Google search. What is a “sponsored link” versus an “organic” result? What determines the order of “organic” search result lists that show up through Google?
Web Sites for Sore Eyes: Youth Radio created a MySpace page that features Alana Germany’s story. Check it out at: Youth Radio L.O.V.E Have students review the site. How have social networking sites like MySpace enabled users to become producers and not just consumers of the media? How are young people using social networking sites to promote social awareness, education, and community organizing?
“Public Service” Announcements: Students are bombarded with television commercials, some designed to sell products, and others -like the Gardasil advertisements- doing that and conveying a health message. Have students analyze the “One Less” campaign (bring in a video tape of one of the PSAs, or you can play it off a computer, see resources below). What message does the campaign convey? Who appears in the ads? How effective is it in “branding” the vaccine, and clarifying its use? What would make it better? What story is not being told? Compare the “One Less” campaign with other “social messaging” ads students see on television. Which stand out? Who are the target audiences? Ask students to research the effectiveness of various campaigns. How would they design a campaign at their school to spread a “pro-social’ message?
Big companies, big profits: Merck is the company that distributes Gardasil. Students can research the companies that produce the drugs that they find in their own medicine cabinets. How unusual is the controversy Merck is experiencing right now? What other big pharmaceutical companies have generated products that have incited public debate? How have these controversies compared to the one surrounding the HPV vaccine? Drawing from this comparison, have students identify the “hot button” issues likely to heat up debates around industry, drugs, and public health in the media.
HEALTH and SCIENCE:
Virus and cancer: Something surprising in Alana Germany’s report is the connection she reveals between a virus girls can contract at a young age, and the development of cervical cancer many years later. This connection is a powerful way to help students understand: 1. What a virus is and how it operates, 2. What cancer is and how it develops and runs a course, and 3. The relationship between viruses and cancer.
Health and gender: This Youth Radio story draws attention to a link between cancer and a virus transmitted through sex. Some STD’s affect men and women differently. HPV is a source of more health problems for women than men. Students can form research groups to find images and articles about different STD’s and present their findings to the class
Vaccination Time: When thinking about the side effects and the relatively short period of time that Gardasil has been tested, Alana expresses some ambivalence about getting the vaccine. Have students look into the history of medical testing, including the landmark Tuskegee Syphilis study and other experiments on human bodies that have gone bad, as well as testing that has lead to health breakthroughs. What do students consider the key criteria defining ethical medical testing? How does that list compare with U.S. government policy and law in this area?
Health Care for All: Alana talks about the issue of health care not being available to everyone. Students can research and compare different proposals for universal health care and find out which countries currently implement this system.
Got shots?: What is the difference between the Chicken Pox and Human Papilloma Virus? Students can discuss the difference between getting a vaccination for a disease that can be contracted via non-sexual versus sexual interactions. They can further debate whether the government should require a vaccination for HPV.
SOCIAL SCIENCE:
Business of Health: Check out this article in the business section of the New York Times, called, “Merck to halt lobbying for vaccine for girls”. Read this article carefully with students. How much does the HPV vaccine cost? Who pays? Who profits from making the vaccine mandatory- defining profit in terms of health benefits and financial benefits? Who is placed at risk- again, defining risk in terms of health and money? Why did Merck decide to stop pushing for the vaccine to be mandatory? How did money factor in this decision?
Use these to help students focus and extend understanding...Coming Soon!
Subject: LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading: Response
Writing: Process
Media Literacy: Comprehension
Media Literacy: Analysis
Media Literacy: Evaluation
Media Literacy: Production
Subject: SOCIAL SCIENCE
Course: US Democracy
Course: Economics
Lens: Economics
Lens: Science, Technology & Society
Analysis: Connections & Patterns
Subject: HEALTH
Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
Influence: Family, Peers, Community, Culture, Media & Technology
Decision Making & Goal Setting
Practice & Activity
Subject: SCIENCE
Life/Biology/Environmental
Impact
4. Meet the Youth Radio REPORTER who produced the story:
Alana Germany has reported on youth culture and religion in schools for Youth Radio. She is a senior in high school, headed to college in Los Angeles.
5. RESOURCES AND RESEARCH related to the story's themes:
Listen to Dr. Robin Curtis, a physician and epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, describe the new HPV vaccine and its benefits.
Listen to students from Youth Spin in Austin, Texas discuss the vaccine and sex education.
•Killing Off Cancer Resources
•How a Vaccine Search Ended in Triumph
•Cervical Cancer
•Video: The Search for a Cancer Vaccine
•Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
•National Conference of State Legislatures
•National Network for Immunization Information
•PBS Show
•Planned Parenthood
•"Teenwire" How does a person get infected with HPV besides sexual contact?
•Is there anyway guys can get the hpv vaccine?
•The HPV Vaccine: A Sexual Health Breakthrough
•Merck
•FDA (which approved the vaccine)
•National Vaccination Information Center
6. MEDIA PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES:
Guides and inspiration for creative media-making projects: conducting interviews, writing commentaries, and producing features.
For many more hands-on resources and behind-the-scenes accounts of youth media production, check out the new book, Drop That Knowledge: Youth Radio Stories. Written by Youth Radio's Research Director and Senior Producer, Elisabeth Soep, and San Francisco State Professor Vivian Chavez, it's being touted by media experts as a "landmark contribution to our understanding of media and youth movements in the US."
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