HPV Cancer Survivor and Advocate Calls for Apology from Bachmann

Michele Bachmann, US Representative and GOP presidential candidate has offended not only women, but cancer survivors with comments she made during a political debate earlier this month.

Bachmann’s comments were based on the current vaccine Gardasil which in her words “results in mental retardation”. She continues to stand by her comments despite the fact that this is disputed by experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Gardasil, approved by the FDA in 2006, reduces the risk of the two highest cancer causing strains of the HPV virus. It has long been know that HPV is responsible not only for cervical cancer but also vaginal, vulvar and anal cancer as well as penile. Recent research now shows its role in 75 percent of oropharyngeal cancers as well.

While she may attempt to sidestep her comments by stating that she is not a doctor or a scientist, she has perhaps done far more damage with her comments than if she had been. Her comment that she “made no conclusions regarding the drug one way or the other” is clearly untrue when she drew the conclusion that it resulted in mental retardation.

It is just this type of uneducated comment made by Bachmann that has mothers questioning, if not outright refusing the HPV vaccines for their children. Perhaps Congresswoman Bachmann needs a history lesson herself before she attempts to make history as this country’s first woman President.

Cervical cancer affects approximately 12,000 women each year in the US. This figure is down 70% since cervical screening guidelines in addition to the development the HPV test has allowed for early intervention and treatment. However these interventions are not without physical and/or psychological damage, can require mutilating surgery and in some instances result in a woman’s loss of fertility. It continues to be responsible for half a million cancers per year globally with approximately 250,000 deaths.

We now have two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix which protect against the major cancer causing strains of HPV which can make things one step better by eliminating the physical and psychological ramifications of the treatment needed to address these precancerous and cancerous lesions.

HPV is responsible for 99.9% of cervical cancer. It is also responsible for 90% of anal cancers and to a lesser extent vaginal and vulvar cancer in women and anal and penile cancer in men. Now 75% of oropharyngeal cancers (mainly in men) are being found to be caused by HPV. Those parents who insist that their child will remain celibate until marriage only further exposes the complete lack of understanding regarding HPV because celibacy will not protect her from getting HPV from her husband when studies show that one out of every two men unknowingly has HPV.

She speaks to exposing our “young girls” to such a vaccine, yet few parents of infants give a second thought to having their child vaccinated with the MMR (prevention for measles, mumps, rubella) or dTAP (prevention for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis also known as whooping cough) or polio. It is well known that the best time for any child to be vaccinated is before they are exposed to these viruses.

There are always going to be those with unforeseen allergies or other medical conditions resulting in untoward effects whether it be to a vaccine, or peanuts, sesame seeds or antibiotics. Shall we ban Penicillin because of the large number of individuals allergic to it. Birth control pills are long known to cause blood clots which can result in death yet that hasn’t resulted in the type of backlash that these vaccines have and that is more directly connected to sexual activity than the receipt of any vaccine.

As the mother of a 20-year-old daughter, I didn’t think twice about having her vaccinated when Gardasil was released. Why? Because I have lived with the severe ramifications of what this virus can do. I am the survivor of two invasive HPV-induced cancers having endured the mutilating surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation as well as the unfortunate complications and side effects of those treatments. I cannot conceive of my daughter having to go through even a small portion of what I did because I chose not to get her vaccinated. I wonder how many other parents could watch their child suffer the ravages of this virus knowing it was a result of their decision not to have them vaccinated.

Now, women having survived a variety of these HPV-induced cancers, those with precancerous lesions and even those diagnosed with HPV are outraged. At a time when they are desperately trying to spread the word about HPV and the importance of vaccination, Bachmann’s comments are simply untenable.

As President of The HPV Support Network Inc, a non-profit organization which advocates for awareness and education of both physicians and patients, I personally call for an apology from Representative Bachmann. She has done a tremendous disservice to all of us not to mention future generations of women (and men)who may remain unvaccinated and suffer HPV related disease. It is particularly painful to those of us who are HPV cancer survivors.

Hopefully when she begins to hear the voices of these women, she will comprehend just how devastating HPV is to their lives, how important vaccination is for future generations, and that inaccurate statements regarding this most valuable vaccine, used for the purposes of a political ploy, will not be tolerated.

Complaints can be made to: MicheleBachmann.com/contact/

Hughes, Sarah Anne. "Michele Bachmann’s HPV claims just latest in Gardasil debate - BlogPost - The Washington Post." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/michele-bachmanns-hpv-claims-just-latest-in-gardasil-debate/2011/09/14/gIQA9FjESK_blog.html

"The HPV Support Network: Jul 26, 2011." The HPV Support Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. http://thehpvsupportnetwork.blogspot

"Can HPV Vaccine Stop Throat Cancer?." WebMD Children's Health Center - Kids health and safety information for a healthy child. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20110623/can-hpv-vaccine-stop-throat-cancer

"Gardasil." U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBl

"Pediatricians Fact-Check Bachmann's Bashing Of HPV Vaccine : Shots - Health Blog : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/09/13/140445104/pediatricians-fact-check-bachmanns-bashing-of-hpv-vaccine

Children and the HPV Vaccine

It has been decades since children heard the words, “Don’t go outside and play”, or “You cannot go outside and play with your friends. As a matter of fact, it has been so long, that parents of young children today have probably never heard those words, nor did their parents – perhaps their grandparents though.

Years ago, children were sequestered inside their homes, unable to go outside as they do today and interact with their friends. The reason – disease, but not just any disease, communicable deadly diseases such as polio, typhoid fever, measles, mumps and rubella. These diseases claimed thousands of lives each year.

It was not until mass immunization came into practice, requiring school-aged children to be vaccinated if they were to attend school that things changed. Today when parents visit their pediatricians, they are given a list of required immunizations required by law. If their child does not have these immunizations when it comes time for school, they simply will not be admitted.

Cancer is a disease which has killed hundreds of thousands of individuals during this interval and prior. However, until recently (about thirty years ago) several cancers, in particular cervical and also Hepatitis have been linked to viruses.

Since its connection to cervical cancer in 1984, and the advent of HPV testing, the number of cases of cervical cancer in the United States has decreased dramatically. However, in other less developed countries cervical cancer still remains the number one cancer killer in women. Also since 1984, HPV has been found to cause numerous other types of cancer including vulvar, vaginal, anal, and penile – all genital in nature. HPV is considered the number one communicable sexual disease with 80% of the population being infected with HPV at some time in their lives.

What is alarming is that more recently, HPV has been shown to affect other organs not considered sexual in nature such as the head/neck, mouth/tonsil and even lungs. Who knows how many other cancers are indeed causes by this one virus?

In many states the HPV vaccine was made mandatory for school admission. Many of those states are reconsidering their decisions with some rescinding earlier rulings. Is this a good thing? Not given research showing that the human papillomavirus can be transmitted through means other than sexual contact but via foamites.

Foamites are inanimate objects which can harbor the virus. A virus which is very difficult to destroy even at very high temperatures including those normally found in your washing machine. Many ill-informed parents are refusing to have their children immunized against HPV but it is just those parents who should be asking themselves how often their child may share a drinking cup or utensil with a classmate in the cafeteria.

Most parents would agree that they do not want to isolate their children from social interactions with friends which aid them in becoming well-rounded adults. Nor do they want to expose them to any form of cancer and even with the idea that celibacy can prevent exposure to HPV there is no test for men so a wife can still acquire the virus from her husband even if she has remained celibate.

It is time that parents view the human papillomavirus as the threat that it is and regulated or not, to have their child immunized against this proven cancer causing virus. Speak with your pediatrician or family doctor and research information of HPV at various reputable websites such as thehpvsupportnetwork.org.

We are all concerned for our children’s health, but I don’t think any parent wants to have to answer their child’s question, “Mommy, why can’t I go outside and play with my friends?”

HPV Vaccine

Recently, some state legislators have taken up action against the mandatory administration of the HPV vaccine in young girls. In light of the vaccine’s high success rate in preventing cervical cancer many states passed laws which added Gardasil to the already existing list of mandatory vaccinations required for children to enter school.

A number of things have changed since those laws were enacted. First off, the FDA approved the vaccine for use in boys and young men, a step forward in helping to prevent the ramifications of HPV in that age group. Secondly, there has been much more attention paid to foamites.

Foamites are inanimate objects which can harbor the virus particles and carry them from place to place. An example of this can be as simple as one’s finger but can include other simple objects as well.

People have been asking for some time if the virus can be contracted from such things as underwear or towels and the answer appears to be a resounding yes. The virus has been found on the underwear of women known to have HPV and towels are just another material source through which the virus may be transferred.

Unfortunately, this is a very virulent (strong/aggressive) virus and one that is very difficult to destroy even at very high temperatures. This brings us back again to the question of removing the vaccine from the mandatory vaccination list for school-age children.

One such legislator in Virginia has stated that HPV does not have the likelihood of being transmitted between these children as with other diseases for which we already provide mandatory vaccinations. Apparently she is not considering the significant research pointing to foamites transmission of HPV when considering putting forth this legislation.

HPV has already been found in saliva, amongst other bodily fluids such as urine, breast milk, seminal fluid and others. How often do school-aged children share that can of soda or other drink – a perfect example of foamites. So before considering rescinding this legislation these legislators, most often not medically oriented, need to become far more educated and up-to-date when it comes to HPV vaccination.

It has taken years for the FDA to approve the use of the vaccine in the prevention initially of cervical cancer. This was then expanded to include vaginal and vulvar dysplasia and cancers. They are on the verge of deciding, this month, whether or not to include anal dysplasias and anal cancer onto that list.

With all the progress that has been made in the five years since the vaccine became available, hopefully legislators will not rescind that progress as a result erroneous information and lack of thorough research.

FDA Should Expand HPV Vaccines' Age Limit

The next few months will be a very significant time, not only for women but for the Gardasil vaccine as well. This is because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is holding hearings into whether or not to extend the use of the vaccine. Currently, Gardasil is approved for administration between the ages of nine and twenty-six. When all is said and done, that high age range will be extended to forty-five.

Gardasil is administered in three doses with the cost hovering around $350 for the series. You can often find a physician who is willing to administer the vaccine “off label”, meaning outside of the standard protocol. As a result, the patient ends up having to carry the cost. So why would anyone really care?

Ultimately having girls immunized prior to the onset of sexual activity would be optimal but what about the teenagers and women in their early twenties, the ones who have the highest incidence of HPV infection? Their immunizations would require knowledge of the vaccine in addition to the ability to cover the expense (although Merck does provide financial assistance under certain criteria). Until age twenty-six, insurance would continue to pick up the cost of the vaccine.

So what then becomes of those women over age 26? The highest incidence of cervical cancer occurs in a woman’s thirties and forties. Presumably she has been exposed to the virus for some time, at this point, and if she continues to remain HPV positive (persistent infection), carries a much higher chance of developing cancer. By this point in time, if a woman is going to have HPV she would have shown symptoms by now, say some. Not necessarily. Symptoms of high risk HPV are often so minimal that they are missed or attributed to something else. Because many of the initial signs resolve rather quickly, the woman usually doesn’t give it a second thought.

It is important that the FDA decide to extend the use of Gardasil beyond age twenty-six to the proposed forty-five. A vast majority of women are married and have had children. They no longer need to be concerned that a pregnancy may set off an HPV infection. Having been in a monogamous relationship, their chances of having acquired the human papillomavirus are less than that of those having had multiple sexual partners during that time frame. However, what happens when this couple now divorces? When after fifteen or twenty years of marriage, the woman suddenly finds herself back on the dating scene? Is she not entitled to receive the same protection from this cancer causing virus as younger women? The answer to that question is a resounding yes, and hopefully before year’s end, the FDA will agree.