HPV questions

[gardenmommy]

I was looking on the CDC website about the HPV vaccine. I am confused. They are saying that there are 100 strains of the virus, 30 of which are implicated in causing cervical cancer and are transmitted sexually.

My question has to do with this: they say that they cannot tell which strains you have been exposed to, or which ones you have. (Which is why they recommend that girls get the vaccine before they are sexually active, because it has a reduced efficacy if you've been exposed.) If they can tell you have HPV but not tell you which strains you have, how can they distinguish between the strains enough to develop a vaccine against four strains? What am I missing here? Surely researchers can test for individual strains of the virus, I mean they developed a vaccine for the four most carcinogenic strains!


My other questions deal with the other strains not considered to be sexually transmitted. If they aren't ST, then how are they contracted? Is this a direct contact virus (blood, saliva, semen or cervical mucous, sweat, etc.), or is it airborne, or what?

And, about the vaccine: the CDC says that the estimated length of immunity is 5 years (because that's how long the trial has been going and they haven't obviously been able to test if the immunity lasts any longer). So does that mean that if you get the vax at 9 yrs, then you have to get it again at 14 yrs, 19 yrs, 24 yrs, etc.?

I just feel like there is a whole lot of information that is not being shared about the vax.

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy

My question has to do with this: they say that they cannot tell which strains you have been exposed to, or which ones you have. (Which is why they recommend that girls get the vaccine before they are sexually active, because it has a reduced efficacy if you've been exposed.) If they can tell you have HPV but not tell you which strains you have, how can they distinguish between the strains enough to develop a vaccine against four strains? What am I missing here? Surely researchers can test for individual strains of the virus, I mean they developed a vaccine for the four most carcinogenic strains!

I'm not really sure what that means. They can tell you which strains you are currently infected with.

My other questions deal with the other strains not considered to be sexually transmitted. If they aren't ST, then how are they contracted? Is this a direct contact virus (blood, saliva, semen or cervical mucous, sweat, etc.), or is it airborne, or what?

The other strains cause other types of warts, like plantar warts and such. They have nothing to do with the genitalia. All warts are caused by HPV.

And, about the vaccine: the CDC says that the estimated length of immunity is 5 years (because that's how long the trial has been going and they haven't obviously been able to test if the immunity lasts any longer). So does that mean that if you get the vax at 9 yrs, then you have to get it again at 14 yrs, 19 yrs, 24 yrs, etc.?

That's the problem - no one knows.

[cynotgirl]

I really just can't believe that this got passed so quickly.

I'm speechless, really.... I don't have any answers to your questions, I'm glad Plummeting did.

Once you get all the info on one vax, another comes round the bed to get you! :

[LilithParker]

I wish the CDC would mention that, like many other STDs, HPV can be avoided with proper condom use.

[CallMeMommy]

Originally Posted by LilithParker

I wish the CDC would mention that, like many other STDs, HPV can be avoided with proper condom use.

Actually that's not true with HPV, it is passed by skin contact, not just mucous membrane contact, so even condoms don't prevent it all the time. I do find it interesting, though, that yearly Pap smears are more effective at preventing cervical cancer than the HPV vax is.

[EVC]

I do find it interesting, though, that yearly Pap smears are more effective at preventing cervical cancer than the HPV vax is.

And that's precisely what worries me--will women stop having paps if they (mistakenly) believe that the vax is protecting them? Is that going to result in more cases of cervical cancer not being caught in its early, treatable stages?

[snowbird25ca]

I have soooooo many concerns about this vaccination it's not even funny...

1st of all, there are 8 strains of HPV that are known to cause genital warts or cervical cancer. There are 4 strains in gardasil - 2 that are responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancers that are caused by HPV, (about 10% of cervical cancer is NOT caused by the HPV virus,) and 2 that are responsible for genital warts. It's unknown if prior infection with HPV virus makes the vax itself INCREASE your risk of getting cervical cancer.

A recent study has shown that more than 90% of all HPV that is sexually transmitted can be prevented by condom use.

Maybe somebody can get the exact wording from the FDA insert for Gardisil itself, but the FDA put a line in the insert that the vax hasn't been evaluated for it's ability to cause cancer or genetic changes. (That's using layman's terms, the actual sentence is technical & I don't remember the wording.)

The rate of arthritis that developed during the trial in the vax group compared to the placebo group was 2.5 times higher. Additionally, there were 3 or 4 cases of congenital anomalies in babies born to women who had gotten the vax before they knew they were pregnant. There were no cases of anomailies in the placebo group. The FDA has required that Merck conduct post-market monitoring of pregnancy outcomes in women who unknowingly get the vax while pregnant.

Another concern, is that cervical changes that occur as a result of HPV infection, generally take 10 to 12yrs to develop. This vax was monitored for only 4 yrs and was called successful based on the absence of HPV in the women involved. It will still be another 8yrs before it can definitively be said that these women haven't gotten cervical cancer.

And being that cervical cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer deaths in the United STates per year.... well, I'm sure you get what I'm saying.

I also think that women not getting regular paps once they've had this vax is going to cause an increase in cervical cancer deaths. I just see this vax as a lose/lose situation in most cases.. not to mention that they don't know how long it's "protective" effect lasts for.

[gardenmommy]

Originally Posted by snowbird25ca

A recent study has shown that more than 90% of all HPV that is sexually transmitted can be prevented by condom use.

I'm not sure that I believe this. Condoms are sadly lacking when it comes to protection. They have a high failure rate, even when used correctly. And, during intercourse, there is so much more skin contact and fluid transfer than just penis/vagina touching, and semen/cervical fluid interchange, that it just doesn't seem reasonable that condoms actually prevent HPV transmission. Maybe they reduce it somewhat, but prevent 90%? That seems a little high.

[/QUOTE]Maybe somebody can get the exact wording from the FDA insert for Gardisil itself, but the FDA put a line in the insert that the vax hasn't been evaluated for it's ability to cause cancer or genetic changes. (That's using layman's terms, the actual sentence is technical & I don't remember the wording.)[/QUOTE]


This is pretty scary! I mean, how many vaxes have actually been evaluated for their ability to cause cancer or genetic changes, but still, to actually admit this in a vaccine insert. It makes me very glad that my children are vax-free at this point!

[/QUOTE]The rate of arthritis that developed during the trial in the vax group compared to the placebo group was 2.5 times higher. Additionally, there were 3 or 4 cases of congenital anomalies in babies born to women who had gotten the vax before they knew they were pregnant. There were no cases of anomailies in the placebo group. The FDA has required that Merck conduct post-market monitoring of pregnancy outcomes in women who unknowingly get the vax while pregnant.[/QUOTE]

If for no other reason that the higher rate of arthritis occurring in this control group, I would not get this vax!